Will this year look different for the Chicago Bears, now that Caleb Williams is at the helm? Former Bears’ coach Dave Wannstedt weighs in.
The first game of the 2024 NFL season is down, with the Baltimore Ravens falling 27-20 to the Kansas City Chiefs -- but in Chicago, the biggest game of Week 1 is still three days away.
At 12 p.m. Sunday, the Bears will take on the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field. It's the first of three straight matchups for the Bears against the AFC South Division, followed by away games in Houston and Indianapolis.
The 2024-25 Bears season is a highly anticipated one. The team has been featured on the popular HBO series "Hard Knocks," and they've got a new rookie quarterback: USC star Caleb Williams.
Chicago has certainly gotten excited about rookie quarterbacks in the past. But this year feels different, former Bears coach Dave Wannstedt said.
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"All quarterbacks have talent," Wannstedt said. "I was in Dallas with Troy Aikman when he was a rookie. It took Troy a couple of years before, football intelligence-wise, he caught up with the game and the rest of the league."
Williams, Wannstedt said, is "way ahead of the curve" in the decisions he makes when playing the game.
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"That will be the difference with him compared to other rookies," Wannstedt said.
But it's not all on the quarterback to lead the team, Wannstedt added.
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"If the Bears are going to have a playoff team, which I believe they will, they are going to have to play defense, and be balanced," Wannstedt warned. "This cannot all be put on this kid's back."
As the game approaches, here's what to know about the Chicago Bears home opener at Soldier Field.
When is the first Chicago Bears game of the season?
The first Chicago Bears game of the 2024-25 NFL season is Sunday, Sept. 8, against the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field. Kickoff is at 12 p.m. Gates open at 10 a.m., with will-call opening at 9:30 a.m.
How to watch the first Bears game
The game -- Caleb Williams' debut -- will air on FOX with Adam Amin (play-by-play), Mark Sanchez (analyst) and Kristina Pink (sideline).
Live stream: FoxSports.com, NFL+
Mobile app: Fox Sports app, NFL mobile app
Who's on the Bears' 53-man roster?
The NFL last week had a roster cut deadline, with the Bears cutting more than two dozen players, including quarterback Austin Reed. Williams and quarterback Tyson Bagent remain on the initial roster, which is subject to change.
Here's the latest iteration of the Bears' initial 53-man roster:
QUARTERBACKS (2)
Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent
No surprises here. Williams was named the starter in the early stages of the offseason, not that there was any doubt that he’d lead the team out the gate. Over the course of the summer, Bagent showed that last year wasn’t a fluke. He’s not just deserving of an NFL job, he’s a solid backup in case Williams gets hurt.
RUNNING BACKS (4, but maybe really 5, then 6)
D’Andre Swift, Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson, Travis Homer
The top three guys in this group were locks. Homer was a safe bet to make the team as a core special teams player. Velus Jones Jr. might be considered the fifth RB in this group since the team moved him to the backfield partway through the summer and he stuck there. He’s currently listed as a WR-- more on that later-- but he might be more accurately listed as an “offensive athlete” or “joker.”
Khari Blasingame was more of a question mark since new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron never had a dedicated fullback on his roster in Seattle, but Blasingame showed he can be an effective lead blocker in the backfield. According to the Chicago Tribune, the plan is to bring him back tomorrow once the team has made an IR move.
WIDE RECEIVERS (6)
Keenan Allen, DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Tyler Scott, DeAndre Carter, Velus Jones Jr.
You’d be hard pressed to find a more impressive trio of wide receivers than Allen, Moore and Odunze. Scott has also impressed this summer and looks much improved compared to his rookie campaign last year. Carter earned a spot in part because of his special teams prowess. Finally, Jones Jr. gets another shot in year three as his big play potential outweighed his penchant for muffing the ball as a return man. We’ll see how much wideout he really plays this year, though.
TIGHT ENDS (3)
Cole Kmet, Gerald Everett, Marcedes Lewis
Kmet has the opportunity to cement himself as a top-10 TE in the league this year. Everett should produce more in the offense than Robert Tonyan did last year. Meanwhile, if Lewis makes it to Week 1 and gets on the field, his 18 seasons playing in the NFL will set a new record for TEs. Blasingame’s potential inclusion on Wednesday likely took away a potential fourth spot for this position group.
OFFENSIVE LINE (10)
Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Coleman Shelton, Nate Davis, Darnell Wright, Kiran Amegadjie, Ryan Bates, Doug Kramer, Matt Pryor, Bill Murray
Larry Borom will begin the year on IR with a designation to return, so he’ll miss a minimum of four weeks to start the season. Bates could also miss time as he works through an injury of his own, so Kramer could open the year as the backup center. Bears coaches have raved about Murray’s camp for much of the summer and he’ll work as a backup guard. Pryor’s flexibility gives the Bears an option both inside and outside. Amegadjie will be playing catch up after he missed the bulk of the summer program.
DEFENSIVE LINE (10)
Montez Sweat, Gervon Dexter, Andrew Billings, DeMarcus Walker, Darrell Taylor, Austin Booker, Dominique Robinson, Zacch Pickens, Chris Williams, Daniel Hardy
The Bears found the rotational pass rusher they were looking for when they traded for Taylor last week. Robinson showed enough in the summer on both defense and special teams to earn a spot. Meanwhile, Pickens’ status for Week 1 is still a mystery as he nurses an undisclosed injury. Williams will be the insurance policy in case Pickens isn’t healthy in time to play in the regular season debut. Hardy was not projected to win a job back in May, but he turned in one of the best preseason performances with splash plays across all four games. He can contribute on special teams too.
LINEBACKERS (5)
Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Walker, Jack Sanborn, Amen Ogbongbemiga, Noah Sewell
The starting ‘backers were set on Day One of OTAs. Micah Baskerville made splashy plays in the preseason, but Ogbongbemiga and Sewell won the jobs because of their special teams prowess. Sanborn can act as the backup middle linebacker in addition to starting on the strongside.
DEFENSIVE BACKS (10)
Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, Kevin Byard III, Jaquan Brisker, Terell Smith, Josh Blackwell, Elijah Hicks, Jonathan Owens, Jaylon Jones
Arguably the deepest position group on the Bears. Each player has been impressive this summer, over the course of their careers, or both. The team had to part ways with two more talented DBs in Adrian Colbert and Reddy Steward simply because there wasn’t space for them all.
SPECIAL TEAMS (3)
Cairo Santos, Tory Taylor, Patrick Scales
Only question here is if Scales will be ready to go for Week 1. He hasn’t participated in practice for several weeks, and if he eventually lands on IR look for the team to bring back Cameron Lyons or someone who was cut by another team last week.
Parking at Soldier Field
Parking passes for fans that purchased them alongside tickets will be sent electronically, officials said. These passes are for the North Garage, Waldron Deck, South Lot, East Museum Lot, Adler Planetarium Lot and Burnham Harbor Lot.
Parking facilities immediately surrounding Soldier Field require a pre-paid parking pass and open four hours prior to to kick-off, the team said, and close two hours after the game.
Shuttle service may be provided, the team said.
These options include Grant Park North, Grant Park South, Millennium Garage, Millennium Lakeside Garage, 31st Street McCormick Place Lot B, McCormick Place Lakeside Garage Lot C and the 18th Street Lot.
Several lots, including the 18th Street Lot and 31st Street Beach are considered "Family Friendly," meaning alcohol is not allowed.
According to the team, parking lots Sunday open at 8 a.m. and close at 6 p.m.
Rideshare pick-up, drop-off locations
Rideshare pre-game and drop-off locations are in the following area: 18th Street turnaround west of Jean-Baptiste DuSable Lake Shore Drive or Balbo Drive between Columbus Drive and Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
Rideshare post-game pickup locations are in the following area:
Balbo Drive between Columbus Drive and Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
Is tailgating allowed?
Tailgating is allowed on all surface lots of the Museum Campus, the upper level of the Waldron Deck and the Southwest Parking Facilities (McCormick Place 31st Street Lot B, D and E only), the team said. Tailgating during the games or after night games is prohibited in the Museum Campus Lots. It is also prohibited after games in the McCormick Place lots.
"Tailgating after any games (day or night) is prohibited in the McCormick Place Lots B, D and E. Party set-ups and grills that exceed the one designated parking space are prohibited," the team said. "Tailgate set-ups cannot block vehicles entering or exiting the parking lots; set-ups in violation will be removed. Open containers of alcohol are not permitted outside of the parking lots, on the surrounding parklands or on the shuttles."
More details on tailgating can be found here.
Tickets
Mobile tickets are required.
"We strongly recommend adding your ticket(s) to your phone's digital wallet in advance to avoid slow cellular signal," officials said.
Soldier Field is also a cashless facility, meaning cash will not be accepted as a form of payment at concessions, in-seat vending or retail transactions.
Soldier Field Bag Policy
According to Soldier Field, the NFL "strongly encourages fans to not bring any bags." However, fans will be able to carry the following size and style bag at Soldier Field and other NFL stadiums:
- Bags that are clear plastic, vinyl or PVC and do not exceed 12" x 6" x 12" or 30.5 x 15.25 x 30.5 cm. This includes clear backpacks, clear fanny packs, clear cross-body and clear cinch bags that fit within the permissible dimensions.
- No buckles, grommets/hardware or décor can be concealing any part of the bag.
- One-gallon clear plastic freezer bag (Ziploc bag or similar).
- Logo can only be on one side of the bag.
- Non-clear bags with or without a handle or strap that do not exceed 4.5" x 6.5" in size, can be taken into the stadium (e.g. fanny packs, cross-body bags, cinch bags, purses)
New food at Soldier Field
A slew of new food options were introduced at Soldier Field ahead of the 2024-25 football season, including the Bear Claw Pretzel and "Odunze Dog." Here's a full list.
