Receivers DJ Moore and Rome Odunze and tight end Cole Kmet will be among the starters who won’t play in the Bears’ preseason opener Sunday at Soldier Field.
Head coach Ben Johnson said Friday that starting quarterback Caleb Williams would be among the nine or so offensive starters he planned to sit out. He didn’t name any other names. The Bears are expected to sit nine defensive players as well.
Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent will start and is expected to play the first half.
The left tackle battle will continue apace — Braxton Jones and rookie Ozzy Trapilo are both expected to play against the Dolphins.
The Bears put Williams through a warmup hours before kickoff. Johnson said Williams was likely to play in the preseason at some point this month. He would likely be in a week against the Bills, as starters rarely play in the third preseason game.
Sunday also marks coach Johnson’s first game, preseason or otherwise, as the Bears head coach.