CHICAGO (670 The Score) — The Bears blasted the Bills, 38-0, in preseason action Sunday evening at Soldier Field.
It was a strong showing by the Bears from start to finish, beginning with their starters on the field and ending with others stating their case for a roster spot. Here are the observations from Chicago's lopsided exhibition victory.
Williams showcases comfort, growth
Bears head coach Ben Johnson has challenged second-year quarterback Caleb Williams since the start of training camp.
During practices at Halas Hall, the Bears are throwing the entire inventory of their offense at Williams and asking him to adapt to the challenge. He has struggled at times in camp, but the Bears believed it would click soon for Williams. It did Sunday evening in his first preseason action of 2025.
Williams shined on the Bears’ opening series, leading a seven-play, 92-yard touchdown drive on which he went 5-of-6 for 97 yards, including a 36-yard touchdown pass to receiver Olamide Zaccheaus.
Williams finished 6-of-10 for 107 yards and that touchdown strike. The Bears’ second drive moved six plays and 15 yards – including a third-down conversion as Williams hit receiver DJ Moore for 10 yards – before they punted.
During the first three weeks of training camp, the operation of the Bears' offense was rocky, and Williams had issues with command. But the Bears were never overly concerned, understanding that he'd showcase growth with time and reps.
“There’s a lot going on,” Bears passing game coordinator Press Taylor said of Williams’ challenges in practice. “There’s certain calls that you get a number of different letters. I mean, there could be tags in the formation to tell guys who to motion, where to motion to, tags in the play call that tell you certain things, kills that you’re having to get through. So, sometimes you heard a word differently, sometimes when you’re not game-planning too, there’s kind of the whole inventory of the offense that can be thrown at you at any time in a practice. Where in a game, it’s honed in, you’ve repped it every single day, and by Sunday you’ve seen four days worth of work and certain calls where the quarterback is anticipating the play calls based on what’s in.
“You’re just looking for growth every single day as we get closer to Week 1.”
Williams showed progress this past week with his best performances of training camp, then successfully carried that over to game action Sunday.
Running back depth tested
Bears rookie running back Deion Hankins, an undrafted player out of Texas State, worked with Chicago's starting offense as D’Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson and rookie Kyle Monangai were all held out of action.
Hankins then exited with a knee injury on the Bears' second drive. That meant Brittain Brown – who was signed to the roster last week – and Ian Wheeler were the lone healthy running backs available to play.
Both took advantage of their opportunity. Brown rushed 16 times for 73 yards and a touchdown, while Wheeler rushed 19 times for 80 yards and two touchdowns.
The Bears need to add depth at running back, both for their preseason finale against the Chiefs on Friday and as they look ahead to the regular season. They could hold tryouts for free-agent running backs this week. Beyond that, the Bears may need to address their backfield on the waiver wire or even through a trade.
Swift is set as the Bears’ lead back. It’s unclear how the depth chart will round out behind him.
Trapilo out of the left tackle mix?
Bears rookie Ozzy Trapilo worked primarily at right tackle Sunday, a continuation of a trend that has developed over the last week.
Trapilo began training camp as a competitor to start at left tackle. It seems the Bears are instead ready to make this more of a redshirt year for Trapilo.
While Johnson and the coaching staff haven’t said Trapilo is out of the mix at left tackle, he has struggled to adjust that position. Trapilo primarily played right tackle at Boston College and has had some difficulties making the switch to the left side at the NFL level. He had a challenging preseason debut against the Dolphins last Sunday.
Braxton Jones and Theo Benedet appear to be the two players competing for the starting left tackle spot. Kiran Amegadjie worked in as the third-string left tackle.
Jones, Benedet and Amegadjie have never played right tackle, so Trapilo may be in line to the backup behind Darnell Wright at that spot.
As the Bears sort out the question of how to protect Williams' blind side, they're trying to do what's best for their need at left tackle and Trapilo's development.
Setback for two pass rushers
Bears defensive ends Austin Booker and Dominique Robinson have been standouts during the preseason. Both exited the game Sunday with injuries.
Booker limped off with a knee injury that he suffered on a kickoff in the third quarter. Robinson departed with an ankle injury. Both players were competing for a rotational role with the defense.
Extra points
--- Reserve quarterback Tyson Bagent showcased himself with extended reps by going 13-of-22 for 196 yards and a touchdown.
--- Receiver/returner Tyler Scott misplayed the opening kickoff of the game, only getting the ball back out to the Bear's own 8-yard line. But he responded to haul in three receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown. It will be an uphill battle for Scott to make the roster, but he flashed potential.
--- Rookie receiver Luther Burden caught three passes for 49 yards. He has looked the part of a second-round pick and seems to have gained more comfort with his role in the offense.
-- Reserve cornerback Terell Smith suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury in the second quarter, when his leg buckled while defending a pass and he went down in pain. The Bears have had their depth in the secondary tested. Now, they may lose Smith for an extended absence.
-- It’s unclear whether the Bears will play their starters in their preseason finale Friday, but this was an encouraging performance.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.