Caleb Williams first NFL preseason has ended as Bears will sit starters on Thursday

The Chicago Bears conclude their 2024 preseason scheduled on Thursday night with a game against the Kansas City Chiefs but for rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and a majority of the team's starters, the preseason is officially over.

Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Matt Eberflus announced that the Bears starters will not be playing on Thursday against the Chiefs.

The next time Bears fans will see Williams play is the regular season opener against the Tennessee Titans on September 8. The biggest case for Williams to play on Thursday was the two-week layoff the Bears had between the end of the preseason and the beginning of the regular season. Having said that, the Bears likely have seen enough from Williams to overlook the idea that he needs game action on Thursday.

Williams' preseason comes to an end, just under the 44-snap count that Eberflus was hoping for the rookie quarterback to have.

Caleb Williams will not play in the Bears' preseason finale.

Entering the Bears' game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday, it seemed that the original plan may have been for Williams to play the first quarter and then play the first quarter against the Chiefs on Thursday. After Williams and the first-team offense struggled to open the game against the Bengals on Saturday, Eberflus made the decision to keep the rookie quarterback in the game for the duration of the first half. The result was Williams making an adjustment while finding success during the Bears' final possession of the first half.

With the Chiefs also sitting out their starters on Thursday, the game truly becomes a final chance for players on the fringe of making the 53-man roster to make their final case. There aren't too many question marks on the Bears' roster, though; the usage of Velus Jones Jr. on Thursday night will likely tip the Bears' hand on whether he will be on the roster or not.