Caleb Williams was the story of the afternoon in the Chicago Bears‘ second game of the preseason. The #1 overall pick went into Buffalo against a talented Bills team and had an impressive showing. He went 4-of-7 for 95 yards, ran for 13, and led two scoring drives. Two of those three incompletions were drops by his receivers. His only blemish was the other one that nearly got intercepted. It was an exciting first glimpse of what might be coming. However, GM Ryan Poles had more reasons than that to feel validated.
Other members of the 2024 draft class stood out during the action. Austin Booker has been building momentum since training camp began. His debut last week in Houston was eye-opening as he showed the power, speed, and instincts of a true pass rusher. He picked up right where he left off in this game, sacking Mitch Trubisky once and hitting him another time. A tackle for a loss was also added to the stat sheet. If that weren’t enough, punter Tory Taylor got in on the fun when he pinned Buffalo at their 11-yard line with a 48-yard punt.
The Bears’ GM knew he was taking a calculated risk when he traded Justin Fields in favor of a quarterback at #1. Early signs indicate it was the right decision. Williams looked sharp in his debut. Nothing about the performance suggests he was overwhelmed. That by itself satisfied Bears fans. Yet, to see other members of the class shine was a major bonus. Taylor would’ve had another punt downed inside the Bills’ ten if not for poor coverage. Booker also demonstrated his work against the run with three tackles.
This is without mentioning Rome Odunze, who only got one target in the game but did manage to prevent Williams from getting intercepted. Nobody worries that he will start making plays at some point. When three of your five draft picks play a positive role in helping win a game, that is a great sign. Poles has positioned the Chicago Bears to be a serious player in the NFC this year. The pieces are falling into place. As always, it comes down to good health and momentum.
