The Bears plan to play their starters against the Chiefs in their preseason finale Friday, but how long they’ll be in the game remains an open question.
Head coach Ben Johnson didn’t speak with local media Tuesday but told ‘‘Up & Adams With Kay Adams’’ that he planned to play his starters. How long will be determined by how the Bears perform in their padded practice Wednesday.
On Monday, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said he would play his starters but left the duration open, saying, ‘‘We’ll see how it goes from there.’’
Quarterback Caleb Williams played 14 snaps Sunday against the Bills in his first preseason action. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes played three snaps in the Chiefs’ first preseason game but sat out last week.
Johnson wasn’t ready to make a commitment about the starters’ playing time after the Bears’ victory against the Bills but said there would be value in going through a pregame routine in their first (and only) preseason road game.
‘‘It’s probably good to go through that exercise,’’ he said.
Rookie linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II said facing Mahomes wasn’t going to be intimidating. The Bears practiced against reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen on Friday.
‘‘Obviously, it’s a great opportunity for me as a rookie, playing against starting guys or however long they play, but it’s just another football game,’’ Hyppolite said. ‘‘Just looking forward to the opportunity and looking forward to taking advantage of that.’’
Benedet emerges
Theo Benedet figured he had at least a chance of winning the Bears’ left-tackle job because the coaching staff told the offensive linemen everyone did. It didn’t come into clearer focus, however, until he started playing with the first and second teams last week.
Benedet, who never has taken a regular-season snap, probably still trails Braxton Jones, who has made 40 NFL starts. But he said he played better against the Bills than he did the week before against the Dolphins.
Benedet winning the starting job would be one of the biggest upsets in recent history at Bears training camp. An undrafted rookie out of Canada a year ago, Benedet hurt his hamstring in the Hall of Fame Game and spent the season on the practice squad.
When the offseason program started, he was an unknown to his new coaching staff.
‘‘It’s not their fault; it’s nobody’s fault,’’ he said. ‘‘There was just no film on me. . . . So it was kind of an audition on the run there at [organized team activities], but I’m glad that they noticed.’’
Cornerback depth tested
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen called cornerback Terell Smith’s knee injury ‘‘an unfortunate situation’’ but wouldn’t say whether he will miss the rest of the season. Smith was carted off the field after suffering a non-contact injury Sunday.
‘‘I thought he was making a lot of progress,’’ Allen said of Smith, who took first-team snaps in practice last week. ‘‘He’s a quiet guy, but he comes to work every day and does his job. He has been a good guy for us to work with.’’
The Bears’ cornerback depth is being tested, with starters Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon hurt and rookie Zah Frazier out for personal reasons. The position group, however, might be the strongest on the team.
‘‘Depth is what you need in this league,’’ Allen said. ‘‘Eventually injuries happen in this league, and you’re going to have to call upon some backup players to come out and play at a starter’s level.’’
