Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson Reveals His Plan for Preseason Game vs. Browns

The Chicago Bears will face the Cleveland Browns at Soldier Field on Saturday at noon to kick off their preseason. Head coach Ben Johnson shared on Thursday afternoon that a "number of starters" on both sides of the ball will sit for the game, including quarterback Caleb Williams. 

The Bears' starting quarterback also didn't play in the first preseason game last year, but Chicago also hosted a joint practice with the Miami Dolphins, providing both teams with valuable reps. 

Johnson shared how will he determine if he needs Williams to play in the preseason.

"I don't know that I need to see game snaps," Johnson said. "What we're trying to assess is the volume throughout the week and making sure we're hitting our bench marks to make sure our team is ready to go for a 17-plus game season. That's what we're looking to do, and so, each individual is a little bit different. ..."

Johnson also mentioned he sees Williams every day in practice. He did highlight there is a certain number of reps that he wants to reach as a team in training camp and the joint practices, and there is a plan in place to ensure the Bears meet those standards throughout the summer. 

The plan is for Tyson Bagent to start the game and "probably play a half."

Two players who will get plenty of reps on Saturday are left tackles Kiran Amegadjie and Jedrick Wills. 

"Our plan for that game is we'll start Kiran [Amegadjie] first quarter and we're looking to alternate him and Jedrick [Wills] throughout that game, based on the quarter, so hopefully get an equal number of snaps right there for those two guys, and we'll continue to reassess where we're at at that position as we go," Johnson said. 

Johnson wants to see Amegadjie compete in the run and pass game. The Bears' head coach mentioned he has seen the former third-round pick out of Yale improve from last year, but he highlighted that consistency can improve. 

"I love where he's at though," Johnson said. "He's really, he's working hard, he's got a better understanding of the offense. That's clear, and you can tell his confidence level continues to rise each practice."

Wills has been in Johnson's offense for a few months, and the Bears' head coach can tell he's still adjusting to the scheme, while players more familiar with the system are able to play much faster. 

"We’re working through that right now," Johnson said. "You see with Jed, you see the talent. You go on to one-on-ones and he does as good as anybody taking a set and punching and keeping guys away from the quarterback. That’s the balancing act is how much does the talent outweigh that, ‘Oh shoot, there’s a couple things there, had a couple false starts the other day, things we’ve got to clean up because he’s thinking about it.’ So he’s in a race right now to get comfortable.”