4 things to watch for in Chicago Bears’ 2nd preseason game, including how Caleb Williams runs the offense

It’s time to see some of what Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson have been cooking up. Williams and the Chicago Bears starters will play in Sunday’s preseason game against the Buffalo Bills.

While the game plan is likely to be vanilla in a meaningless contest, it will be the first competitive look at Williams within Johnson’s offense. After almost seven months of talking about what Johnson’s presence can do for a young quarterback, it’s time to start seeing it in action.

The Bears and Bills kick off at 7 p.m. at Soldier Field. Here are four storylines to watch.

1. How Caleb Williams looks in Ben Johnson’s offense.

Williams and the starters didn’t play last week during a tie against the Miami Dolphins. Johnson and his offensive coaching staff spent the offseason building a new offense from scratch, designed specifically for the personnel on this roster.

As the offense has worked through the natural ups and downs that come with that, the first order of business remains the operation. Everything that happens before the snap should give a good indication of where this offense stands.

There’s Johnson relaying the play call, Williams reciting it in the huddle, all 11 players lining up correctly and doing it all with enough pace that Williams has time to make adjustments before the play clock hits zero. It sounds easy enough on paper, but it’s a vital first step for any new offense — and it’s never as easy as it seems with a young quarterback.

The starters have had some discombobulated moments throughout training camp. Johnson pointed out this week that if there’s a delay of game, false start or illegal motion, those issues aren’t always the quarterback’s fault. It takes 11 players and one play caller all doing their jobs properly for the operation to run smoothly.

“If we struggle at all in the huddle getting the play out, then, yeah, the delays are going to pop up,” Johnson said. “And that’s part of the learning process of us growing.”

If the Bears can navigate through all of that smoothly, Williams will have a chance to show what he has been working on with his receivers.

2. Who stands out at left tackle.

Three weeks into training camp and the Bears don’t seem any closer to naming their starting left tackle. For most of that time, the focus has been on returning starter Braxton Jones and second-round draft pick Ozzy Trapilo.

During practice this past week, however, a new name was suddenly on the radar. Second-year tackle Theo Benedet has seen reps with the first-team offense. Astute Bears fans will remember Benedet as the speedo-wearing undrafted rookie from the last season of “Hard Knocks.”

All three tackles saw action against the Dolphins. Jones, who has started 40 games at left tackle over the last three seasons, earned the start and played 24 snaps. Trapilo saw 37 snaps. Benedet, working with the reserves, saw 45. Second-year tackle Kiran Amegadjie returned to practice this week after missing time with an injury but appears to be buried on the depth chart behind those three.

Sunday’s game represents another opportunity for all of the tackles to state a case.

“Hopefully some clarity, that’s what we’re looking for,” Johnson said.

Beyond the left tackle spot, Sunday’s game is a vital first step for the rest of the offensive line. The Bears spent significant effort and money rebuilding the interior over the offseason. Left guard Joe Thuney, center Drew Dalman and right guard Jonah Jackson are all veterans, but the trio never has played together.

Regardless of what happens at left tackle, the rest of the line needs to play with continuity. Jackson thinks some live action will be good for the group.

“It’s game reps, it’s live reps,” he said. “They can hit the quarterback now, so you’ve got to be on your p’s and q’s and make sure you’re doing your job right.”

3. Dennis Allen’s defensive front.

The Bears have been without cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, who are dealing with leg and hamstring injuries, respectively. So the secondary still might look a little different Sunday.

But the defensive front is healthy. Third-year tackle Gervon Dexter expressed eagerness to see the field in a preseason game.

“I’m playing this new defense … I’ve seen myself grow, learning, so I just want to see my stuff take that next step,” Dexter said, “and some of the things that I’ve gotten better with in practice, I want to see it in the game.”

Allen’s defense will be predicated on being feisty up front. The Bears return several key contributors, including Dexter, a healthy Andrew Billings and 2023 Pro Bowl edge rusher Montez Sweat. They also signed two key additions in free agency: tackle Grady Jarrett and end Dayo Odeyingbo.

The hope is the defensive line is much deeper in 2025. Some of that depth should be on display against a Bills offensive line that powered the league’s second-ranked scoring offense last year.

4. The MVP and a familiar face.

As of Friday afternoon, the Bills hadn’t announced if reigning MVP Josh Allen and the starters will play Sunday. Asked before Friday’s joint practice, Bills coach Sean McDermott said it would depend on how things went during that session at Halas Hall.

If Allen does play, he presents a unique challenge.

“You play this game to go against the best,” said Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, a former teammate of Allen’s in Buffalo. “He’s playing big-time ball.”

Whether or not Allen sees the field, Bills backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky figures to see a decent amount of playing time. The former No. 2 draft pick returned to Halas Hall on Friday for the joint practice.

This won’t be Trubisky’s first time back at Soldier Field. He returned for a preseason game in 2021 just months after the Bears let him walk away in free agency. Trubisky is in his second stint as the Bills backup for the Bills after spending 2022 and 2023 in Pittsburgh.