"Entirety of Bears' starting offensive line sat": Nick Wright defends Ben Johnson’s controversial choice to bench Caleb Williams vs. Dolphins

Miami Dolphins v Chicago Bears - NFL Preseason 2025 - Source: Getty
Chicago Bears' Caleb Williams did not play in Week 1 of preseason - Source: Getty

Caleb Williams and a handful of Chicago Bears starters did not participate in the team's first preseason game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. After the two teams held highly competitive joint practices, Bears coach Ben Johnson decided not to play his starters.

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The decision attracted criticism, as many analysts felt that this was a great opportunity for Williams to get his feet wet after a poor rookie season.

On Colin Cowherd's "The Herd," analyst Nick Wright gave his view on the matter. With the Bears sitting the entire starting offense, including their offensive line, Wright said the decision to bench Williams was not surprising.

"The second-best coach in football, Sean McVay, does this. So, there is clearly no single way to approach it. I would be more critical if it weren't for the fact that the entirety of the Bears' starting offensive line sat. Their starting running back, tight end, and their top three wide receivers sat. So, of course, Caleb is going to sit. Now, he does need to play more snaps in Week 2 than he otherwise would have."
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Emmanuel Acho wants to see Caleb Williams "earn" trust

ESPN analyst Emmanuel Acho said in a recent Fox Sports show that he does not trust Williams due to his apparent inconsistency and emotional reactions:

"I see you on the bench moaning. Why? And I don't know any other quarterback, outside Kyler Murray, who would display that type of body language. Shoutout to Caleb for identifying he needs to fix these issues, he said that within the last 48 hours. But trust is earned, I can't just give it to him."

Williams struggled for most of his rookie season as the Bears limped to a 5-12 finish. Head coach Matt Eberflus was fired in the latter part of the season.

Chicago Bears Nation! Check out the latest Chicago Bears Schedule and dive into the Bears Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

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Edited by Henrique Bulio
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