LAKE FOREST, Ill. — When rookie quarterback Caleb Williams faces the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field on Sunday, the Bears will get their first official glimpse of what their lives will be like for the next decade and more.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles and his staff have been excited about Williams since they first met him at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner’s talent was immediately apparent and he quickly demonstrated the necessary traits to become the No. 1 overall selection.

The Bears have spent the last eight months preparing Williams and the 2024 team to get out of the starting blocks quickly in the fall. They have reinforced Williams with elite talent, hired a top-notch teacher in offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and asked the rookie quarterback to spend the summer honing his skills against a defense with top-notch talent at all three levels.

“He’s ready,” safety Jaquan Brisker said Wednesday at Halas Hall.

Williams experienced ups and downs during training camp and preseason, but the “wow” moments far outweighed the obstacles.

People at Halas Hall raved all summer about Williams’ talent on the field and his ability to quickly process and retain information in the classroom.

But Williams’ demeanor between the lines and in the locker room earned him the captaincy as a rookie, so everyone believes the moment and expectations won’t be too big for him.

“His attitude,” defensive end Montez Sweat said Thursday at Halas Hall when asked why he was confident Williams would succeed. “Most rookie quarterbacks are nervous and you kind of see it. He doesn’t have that factor. He’s just like everyone else in the building.”

“I’m very confident,” said guard Teven Jenkins. “Since he’s been here, he’s shown me that he’s a great leader and quarterback. I have the utmost respect for him and the way he plays.”

The Bears know the noise surrounding Williams will be deafening this season. Such is life with a No. 1 pick who many consider a “generational talent.”

But the Bears will not set any benchmarks – statistical or otherwise – for Williams in his first year.

They just want him to step into his spot and let his natural talent take over. If he does that, they believe the end result will be exactly what they need in the first year of the “Williams Era.”

“We’re not going to live in a world of expectations or predictions because I believe hard work pays off,” Waldron said. “That’s our mindset. And if he continues to improve, continues to work hard with the players around him and has confidence in himself and everyone around him, I think the results will show.”

Williams said he will do a 360-degree turn when he comes through the tunnel on Sunday to absorb a moment he has worked his entire life to achieve.

Then he will set his sights on whatever comes next as the face of the Bears.

“Take it all in, feel the energy, the vibe and go for it,” Williams said Wednesday. “As soon as I make my turn and get to the sideline, it starts.”

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