Chicago Bears

Fantasy football players are watching the Chicago Bears very closely this summer, given the number of explosive weapons the team has put around Caleb Williams.

According to ESPN's Dan Graziano, the rookie quarterback has had some trouble against the blitz thus far, but is forming a strong connection with a number of those weapons:

He and rookie wideout Rome Odunze looked like they have an extremely strong connection. Odunze made a couple of dazzling catches in two-minute drills, and he and Williams seemed to be together every time they walked on or off the field during the team portion of practice. Williams also found DJ Moore on a gorgeous deep ball for a touchdown on the first day I was there—an hour or so before Moore signed his big new contract extension. Tight end Cole Kmet is a reliable holdover as a strong option in the passing game, and the team hopes veteran Keenan Allen can be the kind of help and influence for Williams that he was for Justin Herbert in Herbert's rookie season with the Chargers.

Williams himself has acknowledged that getting better against the blitz is among his current goals.

"I would say working on my blitz and coverage looks and feeling the umbrella of the defense, and feeling that out to adjust protection; to adjust whether it's a run, flip the run into it, flip the protection, get to a quick gain, get to a cover-zero check, however the structure of it works out," he told reporters this week when asked where he wants to improve. "Just progressing, and a lot of that comes with seeing it and reps, and that's why also preseason, those things are so important."

From a fantasy perspective, it's always risky to pin too many hopes on a rookie quarterback, though C.J. Stroud's amazing 2023 season may embolden some managers to go all in on a player like Williams.

He would be the pick if you were to employ such a strategy. He's loaded with weapons, including running back D'Andre Swift, though the safer bet might be going after the receivers on this team, namely Allen and Moore.

Of course, the risk when a team has too many weapons is that the touches between all of them get diluted. Given the explosive talent this team has at receiver, it's more likely that Kmet's targets will suffer, though Odunze could end up being the third wheel among the wideouts, given that rookie receivers often—but certainly not always—take a few years to really develop from a fantasy perspective.

Regardless, this Bears offense has the potential to be explosive. Williams' development will determine just how explosive it is.

The Chicago Bears are hoping Caleb Williams can be their franchise quarterback after drafting him with the top pick in the 2024 NFL draft, and the USC standout certainly got paid like a franchise quarterback with his rookie deal.

In a preview for Hard Knocks that aired during Thursday night's Pro Football Hall of Fame game between the Bears and Houston Texans, Williams revealed his whopping $25.5 million signing bonus to his teammates, who had appropriate reactions.

Some of his teammates cheered and gave him props, while others just seemed to be in pure shock. The reactions were only fitting considering that figure is what some players make over their entire careers.

But if there were ever a player fitting for such a rookie signing bonus, it might be Williams.

The former Heisman Trophy winner comes into his rookie season after a decorated college career. Over the span of his final two collegiate seasons, Williams racked up 8,170 passing yards and 72 touchdowns while throwing just 10 interceptions.

While Williams' $39.5 million, fully guaranteed contract is significant, it could look like a bargain depending on how his rookie year goes. Williams has a loaded roster that features wide receivers Keenan Allen, DJ Moore and rookie Rome Odunze, so he's set up to succeed immediately.

Chicago still has about a month to go before Williams suits up for his first NFL game, but in the meantime, he'll look to gain his bearings in preseason.

Football is back.

The first game of the NFL's preseason took place Thursday as the Houston Texans took on the Chicago Bears in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The Bears won the matchup 21-17, though the game was delayed and then terminated in the third quarter due to inclement weather.

As is the case with many preseason games, some notable stars did not participate while looking to avoid injuries before the start of the year. That included a pair of exciting Bears rookies in quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Rome Odunze, the No. 1 and No. 9 picks, respectively.

One of the biggest storylines of Thursday's game was the NFL's new kickoff rules. The rules were put in place to both protect players from high-speed collisions as well as promote big kick returns.

While there weren't any huge returns in the first game with the new rule, it was interesting to see what kickoffs will look like this season.

Preseason is a perfect opportunity for players to prove themselves before real action starts. That was certainly the case for Bears receiver Collin Johnson, who finished Thursday's game with 56 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Tommy Sweeney also found the endzone on a 22-yard reception from Brett Rypien.

On the Texans' side, quarterbacks Davis Mills and Case Keenum put together solid games, each throwing for a touchdown.

Though fans didn't get a chance to see the two promising players in action, the game still had the social media world hyped for the return of the NFL after a long offseason.

While there are still a few weeks left before the start of the regular season, sports fans around the country can agree that it's great to have football back, at least in some way.

As NFL fans begin their fantasy drafts and start making predictions for which teams will have big seasons, they can enjoy a few more weeks of preseason games. A week from now, several other teams will begin their preseason slate as the Detroit Lions face the New York Giants and the Carolina Panthers take on the New England Patriots.

Though he won't play in the Chicago Bears' initial preseason game against the Houston Texans on Thursday night, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams is expected to get plenty of playing time before the season starts.

Per ESPN's Courtney Cronin, Williams is expected to get 45-55 snaps across the Bears' next three preseason games.

"Caleb Williams said he sees more pros than cons of playing in the preseason," Cronin said. "...He said that that would be paramount over the next couple of weeks as he gets ready for his first NFL season."

Cronin also noted that it's not yet known whether Williams will play in the Bears' preseason game against the Buffalo Bills next week or if his debut will come at a later date.

While many starters opt to skip preseason or play very limited reps, the decision for Williams to play will give him time to clean up some things before he starts the season.

"It's simple things like getting in and out of the huddle, making sure that everybody's on the same page with his cadence as well," Cronin said. "We've seen multiple false starts in practices, a couple delays of games. Making sure that those things don't happen in real football is what you're doing out there now."

The top pick in the 2024 draft is looking to have an immediate impact in the league, and getting some reps in preseason should benefit him greatly.

Williams begins his rookie year after plenty of offseason hype that followed a tremendous college career. The former Heisman Trophy winner will now look to live up to that hype on a team that has struggled for much of the last decade.

Chicago is coming off a 7-10 season that saw it miss the playoffs for a third consecutive year. With Williams taking over under center and a strong supporting cast around him, things could start to turn around for the Bears.

As Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams begins his NFL journey, he's learning from one of the greatest to ever do it.

In an interview with ESPN's Courtney Cronin, Williams revealed he's implementing the diet of NFL legend Tom Brady. The diet means Williams can't have white rice, white flour, red sauce, sugar and more. For Williams, he decided to take on the strict diet to increase his chances of having a long and successful career like Brady.

"Obviously he has the knowledge of 22 years, however long he played, of playing ball and being healthy," Williams said of Brady (16-minute mark). "That's ultimately what I'm trying to reach, is to play that long, play as long as I can and be healthy throughout all of it. A big part of it is the diet and working out and how you work out. And then getting on the field the mental part, the physical part takes over. But the things that I can control, control those things, which is my diet and that's a big key to be able to play for such a long time."

Williams also said that he reached out to Brady to get some advice before he begins his career. The seven-time Super Bowl champ emphasized the importance of staying motivated throughout the process, even when things get difficult.

"He kept harping on competitive stamina, he kept harping on being around your guys, understanding them, that relationship," Williams said (18-minute mark). "And then, just, it's hard. The job is hard, it's a tough job. It's tough to go out there and win games. So doing the best you can in the film room, with your diet and all the other things you can control. Go out there and handle those things and it gives your chances of winning games and doing what you want to do, it gives you the best chance."

Williams, the top pick in the 2024 NFL draft, enters his rookie year with plenty of expectations after a successful tenure a USC. He'll begin his rookie season on Thursday in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game between the Bears and the Houston Texans.

After DJ Moore got a long-term contract extension from the Chicago Bears this week, he expressed optimism that Keenan Allen will be able to secure a new deal.

Speaking to ESPN's Courtney Cronin, Moore said he believes the Bears and Allen have a path to a new contract after the two receivers discussed what Allen is looking for.

"I did that yesterday," Moore explained. "I was like, 'man, listen, what's your number? Let's get it done.' And I mean, I'm going to leave his number out of it, but I think we can get it done. So it should be interesting."

The Bears signed Moore to a four-year, $110 million extension on Tuesday that keeps him under contract through the 2029 season.

Moore, 27, is a key part of Chicago's long-term offensive core that includes Caleb Williams, Rome Odunze, Darnell Wright and Teven Jenkins.

Allen's spot on the Bears beyond 2024 will be interesting to follow. He's entering the final season of a four-year, $80 million contract he originally signed with the Los Angeles Chargers in September 2020.

The Bears acquired Allen for a 2024 fourth-round draft pick in March. He turned 32 in April and has missed 11 games due to injuries over the past two seasons, but continues to be a very productive receiver when he's on the field.

Allen finished last season with 108 receptions, 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns in 13 games.

A lot of what happens with Allen could depend on how Odunze fares in his rookie season. If the Washington alum has an immediate impact, the Bears could look to save money by not paying two receivers big money and use the cap savings to address other positions of need next offseason.

Of course, the benefit of having a quarterback on a rookie contract for up to five seasons is the team has more cap flexibility to keep quality players on lucrative contracts at other positions.

In the wake of signing the richest contract in Chicago Bears history, DJ Moore explained the presence of Caleb Williams made it easy for him to extend his time with the organization.

Speaking to reporters about his new deal, Moore said he believes Williams will be a "superstar" and he "wanted to be part" of the process of watching the rookie quarterback make a name for himself.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday that Moore agreed to a four-year, $110 million extension with the Bears.

The deal keeps Moore under contract through the 2029 season. Williams' rookie deal could extend through 2028 if his fifth-year option gets picked up.

Optimism is extremely high in Chicago going into this season. Williams could reasonably be expected to have the best debut season by a quarterback in franchise history. The current Bears' record for most passing yards by a rookie is 2,193 (Mitchell Trubisky in 2017) and passing touchdowns is 11 (Charlie O'Rourke in 1961).

Erik Kramer is the Bears' all-time single-season leader in both categories with 3,838 passing yards and 29 touchdowns in 1995.

Williams has earned strong reviews from coaches and teammates in his first training camp. He may not be able to get the Bears in the playoffs right away because they play in a tough division with the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, but it might not take long before they are challenging for a top spot in the NFC hierarchy.

Moore figures to get a lot of targets from Williams in 2024. The 27-year-old set a career-high with 1,364 receiving yards and eight touchdowns last season with Justin Fields and Tyson Bagent starting games at quarterback.