Bears won't play Caleb Williams, majority of starters in preseason finale vs. Chiefs

The Chicago Bears will conclude the preseason against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night, but there will be a number of familiar faces on the sideline.

Coach Matt Eberflus announced that a majority of starters will not play against the Chiefs, including rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, who played the entire first half of last week's win against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Eberflus said the plan was flexible on how many games Williams would play in the preseason, and you have to wonder if Thursday's short turnaround had anything to do with it. The goal for Williams was to play 45-55 snaps in the preseason, and he finished with 42 reps in two preseason outings.

Williams completed 10-of-20 passes for 170 yards, no touchdowns, no turnovers and a 79.2 passer rating. He led Chicago to three scoring drives, including his first NFL touchdown, in seven possessions.

"Overall, I thought a good preseason for him," Eberflus said Tuesday.

With Williams not suiting up, it'll be backup Tyson Bagent making his second start of the preseason. Bagent is coming off an impressive outing against the Bengals, where he completed 7-of-8 passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns. There should also be plenty of Brett Rypien and undrafted rookie Austin Reed, who are competing for the QB3 job.

This final preseason game will be the last opportunity for players to make a case for a roster spot as cutdown day looms large on Tuesday, Aug. 27. There are still some roster spots up for grabs, notably at running back, return specialist, receiver and defensive line. So while the starters won't see the field on Thursday, there's still plenty of storylines to follow.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears won't play Caleb Williams, most starters in preseason finale