Chicago Bears rookie QB Caleb Williams will play in Saturday’s preseason game vs. Buffalo Bills

LAKE FOREST – Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the rest of the team’s starters will play Saturday in a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. For Williams, this will mark his preseason debut.

Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft, did not play in the Hall of Fame Game last week.

Asked if Williams will play multiple possessions Saturday, head coach Matt Eberflus said the rookie will be on the field for “a range of plays.”

Williams has been the starter since the beginning of training camp and has taken all the reps with the first-team offense. Asked how the rookie is progressing, Eberflus believes Williams is on track.

“He’s right where he needs to be right now,” Eberflus said. “He’s having some good days, some good periods, and some other ones where he’s learning from adversity.”

Earlier in the day Thursday, the Bills announced that Josh Allen and their starters also will play in the game. The Bills starters are expected to play about a quarter of action. The Bears and Bills kick off at noon Saturday at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.

The starting offensive line has been dealing with several injuries, so it probably will be a mix of expected starters and backups protecting Williams.

“You need those reps to get better and Caleb also benefits having those reps having the [first-team] line out there,” left guard Teven Jenkins said. “So as long as he’s out there, I want to be out there and help protecting him.”

Asked what he wants to see from Williams and the starting offense, which is working under a new coordinator in Shane Waldron, Eberflus noted he wants to see execution.

“Get in and out of the huddle,” Eberflus said. “No pre-snap penalties. Clean operation.”

The defense will likely be without a handful of key starters as well. The secondary, especially, has been banged up during camp.

Injury updates

Offensive lineman Ryan Bates appeared to exit practice early due to an injury Thursday at Halas Hall. It’s unclear what his status is heading into Saturday’s game.

The Bears remain without several key contributors because of injuries. The following players did not participate Thursday: cornerback Kyler Gordon, safety Jaquan Brisker, running back Roschon Johnson, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, cornerback Terell Smith, linebacker Noah Sewell, long snapper Patrick Scales, defensive end Jacob Martin, lineman Theo Benedet, guard Nate Davis, receiver Collin Johnson, defensive end Byron Cowart and defensive end Montez Sweat.

Gordon hasn’t practiced in two weeks. Eberflus previously said Gordon is dealing with “tightness.” Asked for an update Thursday, Eberflus said it’s “a work in progress.”

“We feel good where he is,” Eberflus said. “And again, this is something that in training he did and then just kind of came in [to training camp] with it. So, we’re just kind of making sure that it’s right and there’s a delicate balance here because we have to make sure it’s right, but also he’s working hard, diligently, to get back.”

Scales, the long snapper, has missed several days of practice as well. The Bears signed long snapper Cameron Lyons earlier this week. Eberflus said that Scales is dealing with a back injury.

Practice highlights

Safety Kevin Byard picked off a pass from Williams during a two-minute drill Thursday. On a second-and-10 play at their own 42-yard line, Williams targeted tight end Gerald Everett along the right sideline. Byard jumped in front of the pass for a takeaway.

Earlier in practice, Eljiah Hicks picked off a pass from Williams during 11-on-11 action. That one came after cornerback Josh Blackwell blitzed and put pressure on the QB. Hicks had a pass break up on the following play, too.

With the second-team offense, Tyson Bagent and Nsimba Webster made a nice connection on a deep ball that Bagent tossed after a defender jumped offsides and gave Bagent a free play.