It’s time for Caleb Williams to deliver.

The quarterback taken with the No. 1 pick in the draft makes his highly anticipated debut when the Chicago Bears host the Tennessee Titans today.

“I’m excited to see him,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. “And I’m excited to lean in and lean on his teammates. Because that’s what you have to do with a quarterback. He’s got guys around him that have played a lot of years.”

The Bears are one of the NFL’s “it” teams at the moment. With the former Heisman Trophy winner from USC behind center and several other major additions on offense, they were an easy selection to be featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.”

Williams is widely viewed as a generational talent who could solidify a position that’s long been a sore spot for the founding NFL franchise. He will also try to buck a more recent trend among quarterbacks drafted with the No. 1 overall pick. The past 15 were a combined 0-14-1 in first career starts, beginning with Cincinnati’s Carson Palmer in 2003.

It’s not just Williams’ arrival that has the Bears eyeing bigger things after going 10-24 over general manager Ryan Poles’ and Eberflus’ first two seasons.

They traded for six-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen and drafted Rome Odunze with the No. 9 pick to form a potentially dangerous trio of wide receivers with the returning DJ Moore. Throw in a defense that came together following a midseason trade for Montez Sweat, and the Bears have their sights set higher coming off a 7-10 season.

Tennessee’s Brian Callahan, meanwhile, will make his head coaching debut. He was hired to boost one of the NFL’s worst offenses after spending the past five years as Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator. The Titans ranked near the bottom of the NFL in total offense, passing and scoring on the way to a 6-11 record.

The Bears would like to build on the momentum they had late last season, when they won five of seven before closing with a loss at Green Bay. The finish came after an 0-4 start that was part of a 14-game slide dating to 2022.

Two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons missed the last five games of the 2023 season, which didn’t help former coach Mike Vrabel keep his job. The Titans kept Simmons on the sideline in the preseason. Now Simmons finally gets to chase and tackle quarterbacks alongside rookie tackle T’Vondre Sweat.

“All I’ve been thinking about is how dominant I can be this game. How effective I could be this game. And just how can I help my team win this game,” Simmons said.

Allen insisted he’s fine with being part of an ensemble rather than the clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver, even in a contract year.

“Yeah, I mean, I’m not looking to make $35 million,” he said, laughing.

The 32-year-old Allen made six Pro Bowls in 11 seasons with the Chargers before the Bears acquired him in March. He is in the final year of a four-year extension he signed in 2020 and is questionable for the opener with a heel injury.

The deal for Allen was Chicago’s second trade for a top wide receiver in as many years. The Bears acquired Moore from Carolina in 2023. With Odunze and tight ends Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett, Williams should have no shortage of targets.

“It’s going to be balanced, and I think it’s going to be good,” Allen said.

Some might see having three wide receivers who could easily be the top guy on any other team as a challenge. Not Callahan, who’s worked with players in similar situations many times. Now he has five-time Pro Bowler DeAndre Hopkins with the Titans alongside Calvin Ridley, Tyler Boyd and Treylon Burks, the fourth guy in line despite being the 18th pick overall in 2022.

“You make sure the primary is on what they’re good at. You move them around the formation. You put them in spots to catch the ball,” Callahan said. “It’s a process, and we work really hard at it. We spend time on where we’re putting guys and what we’re asking them to do. So that part is not new, it’s something that I’ve done for a long time, and I feel pretty confident that we can get guys the ball. And again, I love that.”

Steelers at Falcons

Russell Wilson makes his first start for the Steelers while Kirk Cousins debuts for the Falcons. Arthur Smith returns to Atlanta as Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator. The Steelers are 13-1-1 against the Falcons in their past 15 games.

Jaguars at Dolphins

The Jaguars bolstered their defense and gave Trevor Lawrence a massive contract to take the next step. Tua Tagovailoa got paid to deliver Miami’s first playoff win since 2000. He has more help with Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and a strong run game.

Vikings at Giants

Sam Darnold takes over for Minnesota, which let Cousins walk in free agency and drafted J.J. McCarthy in the first round only to see him suffer a season-ending knee injury. Daniel Jones is back from injury with plenty to prove after a disastrous season.

Panthers at Saints

The Panthers have a new coach, Dave Canales, and reason to be optimistic that he can help develop Bryce Young. Saints coach Dennis Allen and quarterback Derek Carr are under pressure to get the team to the playoffs.

Patriots at Bengals

Jacoby Brissett gets the start over rookie Drake Maye to kick off a new era in New England under Jerod Mayo. Joe Burrow is back for the Bengals, who are looking to make a deep playoff run.

cardinals at bills

Josh Allen has a new receiving group and Buffalo’s defense has a new look. Kyler Murray and the Cardinals finished a losing season strong last year and added Marvin Harrison Jr. in the draft.

texans at colts

C.J. Stroud led the Texans from worst to first last year and got another playmaker in Stefon Diggs. Anthony Richardson is back healthy for the Colts.

raiders at Chargers

The Jim Harbaugh era begins in Los Angeles. The Chargers have Justin Herbert. The Raiders are going with Gardner Minshew. Las Vegas has a tough defense that could be the difference.

broncos at seahawks

Mike Macdonald took over for Pete Carroll in Seattle and aims to improve the defense. Geno Smith tries to get back to his 2022 form with plenty of talent to help him. Rookie Bo Nix gets the start for the Broncos, who enter their second season under coach Sean Payton.

commanders at buccaneers

No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels starts for the Commanders, who also have a new coach in Dan Quinn to go with their rookie quarterback. The Buccaneers re-signed Baker Mayfield and all their key free agents after advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs.

cowboys at browns

The Cowboys didn’t add much help in the offseason after a playoff failure but they still have Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons. Deshaun Watson returns to a Browns team that made the playoffs with Joe Flacco after he got hurt.

Jets at 49ers

Aaron Rodgers is back and expectations are high for the Jets, who have the NFL’s longest active playoff drought. The 49ers fell just short in the Super Bowl and are coming off an eventful preseason.

Rams at Lions

A rematch of a wild-card playoff opens the Sunday night schedule. Jared Goff and the Lions came close to reaching the Super Bowl and won’t settle for anything less than a Lombardi Trophy. Sean McVay’s Rams surprised everyone last season and have stocked talent around quarterback Matthew Stafford.