One thing that separates the NFL from other major sports leagues is its consistent ability to market its stars. You see guys like Patrick Mahomes, Christian McCaffrey, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson, and others everywhere. The league has always had a keen understanding that star power sells tickets. One thing they also do well is setting up the next generation. While they can’t tell fans this or that new player is going to be great, they can get a head start on introducing them to fans. This is done through carefully constructed opportunities to get them on national television. It appears the NFL has big plans to do that with Caleb Williams.
As a former Heisman winner and the #1 overall pick in the draft, it is hardly a surprise the league wants to get him in front of cameras as soon as possible. They already took a big step in that direction by selecting the Bears to appear on HBO’s Hard Knocks. Now, they’ve added another layer with the recent announcement of their preseason TV schedule. NFL Network plans to do live coverage of 21 games in August, and three of them will be Bears games. Williams is a key focal point of that decision.
Caleb Williams has a chance to make a good first impression.
While he likely won’t play in the Hall of Fame game against Houston, he is sure to see at least three full quarters of action during the preseason. Much of it depends on how much work head coach Matt Eberflus and the Bears want to give him. With it being a new offense under coordinator Shane Waldron, it stands to reason they’d like to get him as many snaps as possible without being reckless. One can safely assume the NFL will “encourage” the Bears to get him on the field long enough to throw a touchdown pass or two.
Caleb Williams isn’t likely to think much about this. He’s been in the spotlight since he was a senior in high school. Having the cameras on him is nothing new. This is the life he chose and prepared for since he was ten. He doesn’t run from it. If anything, he embraces it. While Williams is hardly an attention seeker, he seems comfortable when eyes are on him. Being live to a national audience during the preseason is unlikely to influence him one way or the other.
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The preseason should be about getting Williams on a good foundation to start his NFL career – not about the NFL’s marketing needs.
I hope the Bears play Williams in preseason according to his needs for growth and improvement, and do not try to cater to the NFL’s desire to showcase him. Hopefully we are talking about a guy who has a 10-15 year career ahead of him. Focus on preparing him for that, not the TV crews.
I fully expect Williams to get a series or two in the HoF game. They won’t do anything to reveal the playbook, given that they play Houston in week 2 of the regular season, but getting Williams some reps under full game conditions, running simple pass patterns and handoffs, will be valuable to him. Give him 6-12 plays, and then let Bagent and the kid from Kentucky take over.