Chicago Bears rookie Caleb Williams aims to lean on teammates in first NFL start
CHICAGO (CBS) – After all the work through the offseason program and training camp, Chicago Bears rookie Caleb Williams will start his first NFL regular season game on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
He knows the Bears have talent around him and, as his coaches have advised, he'll try to rely on those skill players as much as he can.
"I'm going to do whatever I need to do for my team to win," Williams said. "And that's... handing the ball off, leaning on my guys. It's leaning on my talent, not trying to do anything special, and then when those moments happen, when those moments come up, there's some routine plays, but a lot of times, those moments are time to be special."
The rookie's teammates have expressed confidence in him to make the right play.
"He wants to get the ball out of his hands," said receiver Keenan Allen. "Get it into our hands, the playmakers' hands ... instead of trying to wait on plays that aren't really there and try to create your own plays. That's how you fall into mistakes."
The Bears are much healthier heading into this season, than last year when injuries were a big reason for their 0-4 start. It's been part of the plan, according to offensive lineman Teven Jenkins.
"We're taking a lot more hits off our bodies right now, earlier in the year and definitely I feel like it paid off for a lot of people, myself included, because I'm feeling really good," Jenkins said. "This is probably the healthiest I've been going into week one."
Head coach Matt Eberflus also pointed to better competition on the roster and more continuity as reasons he believes the Bears are better positioned to start fast.
That will start Sunday with the Titans at Soldier Field.
