No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams will take some of his first NFL snaps in Buffalo

Caleb Williams’ path to the Pro Football Hall of Fame will take a detour through the lights of the big city of… Orchard Park, New York.

The extremely talented quarterback, who the Chicago Bears selected with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, will see some of his first live games at Highmark Stadium, as the Bears are scheduled to take on the Buffalo Bills during a preparatory match. August 10. This will be Chicago’s second preseason game; Williams will officially begin her career on August 1 in the Hall of Fame game against the Houston Texans.

It remains to be seen how many snaps Williams plays against Buffalo — or in any preseason game, for that matter — but the snaps will still be among the first of his professional career. The 22-year-old has already been named Chicago’s starting quarterback; he will see his first snaps of the regular season in the Bears’ Week 1 meeting with the Tennessee Titans.

Related: 2024 NFL Release Schedule Recap: Everything you need to know about the Bills’ 2024 roster

Williams’ meteoric rise to football prominence began in 2021 when the then-Oklahoma Sooner replaced Spencer Rattler on the bench midway through a Red River Rivalry showdown with Texas; he completed 16 of 25 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns, picking up another score on the ground to lead the Sooners to a massive come-from-behind victory. He would remain Oklahoma’s starter for the remainder of his freshman season, throwing for 1,912 yards, 21 touchdowns and four interceptions.

He followed former Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley to Southern California the following summer, transferring to USC to become the Trojans’ starting quarterback. He threw for 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns and five picks during his first year in Los Angeles, winning the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Award and the Heisman Trophy.

The quarterback’s status as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft was all but confirmed before the start of the 2023 season, and while he has regressed a bit (3,633 yards, 30 touchdowns and five picks over to his previous breakout production), the Bears bought into the talent and profile, selecting him with the first pick in this year’s draft.

The 6-foot-1 signal caller with incredible arm talent and athletic figures to eventually become an NFL superstar. Bills fans at Buffalo’s preseason showdown against Chicago will see some of his first professional shots.