Tennessee Titans coach Brian Callahan doesn’t want his first game in charge to end up as a footnote in No. 1 draft pick Caleb William’s ascent through the NFL. But he knows Williams has the talent and potential to make that happen.
The Titans play the Chicago Bears to start the 2024 NFL season on Sunday (noon, FOX) at Soldier Field in a game anticipated by many as the quarterback’s debut. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner helms a revamped Bears offense built around the talent receiver trio of D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen and fellow top-10 pick Rome Odunze, but most of the attention will be on the multi-talented Williams and his ability to thrive within the structure of an offense as well as when the structure breaks down around him.
“He’s everything a number one pick you would expect to be,” Callahan said Monday. “You have to treat him as such and treat him with that kind of respect. Obviously you have to earn that in this league. He’s got to do it in regular season games. I just hope it isn’t in the first week.”
Titans outside linebacker Harold Landry III says Williams has already shown “what makes him special,” with the way he can create for his offense even when plays don’t go according to plan. Williams showcased those skills in college at Oklahoma and USC, and Callahan says he saw some of those traits translate in Williams’ few series of preseason action.
Callahan referenced an old football adage when talking about Williams: you see things until you prove you can handle it. The Titans’ plan to slow Williams down will involve disguising coverage and pressure packages in various ways to make Williams’ inexperience show. It’s a “holistic approach,” Callahan said, and added the Titans are going to need all of it in order to defeat the Bears.
Because, at the end of the day, Callahan sees Williams’ potential the same way the rest of the league does.
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“I’m a huge fan of Caleb Williams and what he did at USC,” said Callahan, despite being an alum of rival UCLA. “I’ve watched him over the years. Really dynamic player. It’s really fun as a fan of quarterbacks to watch him play.”
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at [email protected]. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.
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Publish date : 2024-09-01 13:00:00
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