The Chicago Bears had a convincing preseason victory over the Buffalo Bills on Saturday.
While the result of the game was inconsequential, it marked the first time that rookie quarterback Caleb Williams lined up under center in-game action for the Bears. Williams looked the part on Saturday, as the operation was relatively clean, and he had a pair of special plays in the game.
Looking beyond Williams, there was another takeaway for the Bears regarding the quarterback position.
There is no backup quarterback competition.
Entering the game after Williams was second-year quarterback Tyson Bagent. While some fans of latched onto the insignificant "or" on the Bears' depth unofficial preseason depth chart at the quarterback position with Bagent and Brett Rypien, there hasn't been this perceived backup quarterback competition in Training Camp. By all accounts, Bagent has taken most if not all of the snaps at Training Camp with the second-team offense and Rypien's Hall of Fame game performance notwithstanding; the Bears seem comfortable with a second season where Bagent is the backup quarterback.
The Bears' quarterback room seems to be set.
The playing time essentially confirmed that theory on Saturday, as Bagent was the first quarterback in the game after Williams departed. If anything, Bagent solidified his standing as the backup quarterback with his performance on Saturday. Bagent completed 5 of his 8 pass attempts for 47 yards. Meanwhile, Rypien completed 1 of the 2 pass attempts that he had.
After rain put a premature end to undrafted rookie quarterback Austin Reed's debut during the Hall of Fame game, Reed saw extended time on Saturday where he completed 2 of his 4 passes for a total of 50 yards.
For the first time in recent memory, the Bears have a pretty clear order of succession at the quarterback position entering the season. Williams is the unquestioned starting quarterback with Bagent firmly entrenched as the backup quarterback. Rypien, if he doesn't land elsewhere after the preseason, likely will be in the Nathan Peterman role this season while Reed continues his development on the practice squad.