LAKE FOREST, Ill. >> 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 on Sunday.
“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 Southern California 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.
Strong start
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.