Chicago Bears still considering controversial Caleb Williams decision

The Chicago Bears are dealing with several concerning injuries in training camp, and the last thing the team needs is for the starting quarterback to go down before the start of the regular season.

On Thursday, the NFL preseason schedule gets underway with the Arizona Cardinals playing the Carolina Panthers in the annual Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.

The Panthers named Kenny Pickett as their starting quarterback, opting to save Bryce Young from potentially sustaining an injury in the exhibition contest.

The Bears have their own controversial decision to make on Caleb Williams. Will Chicago play him in the preseason?

Bears head coach Ben Johnson told reporters on Monday that he hadn’t decided if Williams and the starters will play their preseason opener at home against the Cleveland Browns on Aug. 15.

‘‘I think it’s probably always good to at least go through the warmup procedure to where Game 1 (of the regular season) is not the first time at doing that,’’ Johnson said, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. ‘‘So there’s a lot of merit in that regard, and we’ll see what it looks like. But we haven’t made a determination yet.’’

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Finley argued the Bears shouldn’t play Williams at all in the preseason, as the team’s final two preseason games come after joint practices against the Cincinnati Bengals and Tennessee Titans.

Williams played in the final two preseason games last season, Johnson’s first year as head coach of the Bears. Jared Goff, who Johnson coached with the Detroit Lions, last played a preseason game in 2022.

Johnson is weighing keeping the team healthy and being ready for the Week 1 opener against the Carolina Panthers.

‘We need all these guys to be as healthy as we possibly can going into the season because it’s a long year,’’ Johnson said. ‘‘But at the same time, we want to make sure that we’re prepped and we’re ready. We’re looking at numbers.

“We’ve got sports-science data. The number of reps we’re getting, the quality of the reps that we’re getting, it all goes into it.’’

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid prefers to let Patrick Mahomes take snaps in the preseason. A similar dress rehearsal could help Williams get in rhythm for the regular season.

Still, an early injury would most certainly tank the season.

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