Bears star Caleb Williams’ personal assessment of his preseason debut

Caleb Williams made his preseason debut on Saturday. It came during the Chicago Bears’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium, with the home team winning 27-9. The quarterback played limited minutes but was able to get his feet wet. He shared his assessment of his performance during his postgame availability.

Williams completed 2-of-5 passes for 28 yards in just the the team’s first series. Case Keenum replaced him until halftime, recording 9-of-17 completions for 119 yards, zero touchdowns and zero interceptions. Miller Moss played the rest of the game and went 13-of-21 for 103 yards.

Williams will be relied upon heavily once the regular season starts. He is coming off an impressive 2025 season, leading Chicago to an NFC North title and reached the Divisional Round.

Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears — Jun 11, 2026; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) speaks during Minicamp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams opens up on preseason debut performance

Reporters asked the 24-year-old for his thoughts about his first game of the preseason. He highlighted that he felt good being on the field but stressed that the team should avoid getting penalties.

“Good, feel smooth.” Williams said. “No complaints other than we’ve got to try not to get penalties, obviously. It’s not the goal, but if we get penalties and things like that, it’s my job and the other guy’s job to try and get us back in position to try and help Ben (Johnson) out in that situation. It’s not many calls that you can have for 2nd-and-20s or 3rd-and-20s and things like that. Just doing a better job with that. So it was good, kind of getting back in that mode of a game and things like that.”

Caleb Williams on his Performance in his Preseason Debut:

It felt good and smooth out there, no complaints other than needing to avoid penalties. When we get penalties, it’s my job and the other guys’ job to get us back in position to help Ben out. There aren’t many calls for… pic.twitter.com/tigoPZFLRN

— BearsMuse (@ChiBearsMuse) August 23, 2026

Williams and Co. will return to action on Saturday versus the Tennessee Titans. Bears head coach Ben Johnson will likely stick to the same rotation to keep his star quarterback as healthy as possible for the regular season. They will open their schedule on Sept. 13 against the Carolina Panthers.