It's full speed ahead to Week 1 for Caleb Williams

Bears coach Matt Eberflus announced Tuesday that rookie quarterback Caleb Williams will not play in the preseason finale against the Chiefs on Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium, tacitly declaring Williams good to go for the season opener against the Titans on Sept. 8 at Soldier Field.

And that was that.

The Williams story has just begun to unfold, of course. But the matter-of-fact and expected nature of Tuesday’s announcement was a significant change from previous seasons, when the preparedness of Justin Fields and Mitch Trubisky was a hearty debate at this point of the preseason.

Not this time.

“Overall … a good preseason for him,” Eberflus said of Williams. “Just the process of being able to get in the huddle, make the call, be clean, get to the line, look at the [play] clock and say, ‘OK, this is a little bit low’ and move guys around fast enough get the snap off. I think it’s been clean.

“And then post-snap, I think he’s been relatively good in terms of going through his progressions, making good decisions, taking care of the football in the pocket with two hands and moving around when he has to do that.”

Williams’ preseason was relatively modest for a rookie quarterback coming into the regular season as the starter. He played 42 snaps in two games, completing 10 of 20 passes for 170 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions for a 79.2 passer rating. He also had two rushes for 20 yards, including an exciting seven-yard touchdown against the Bengals last week.

But even with that light workload, Williams’ abbreviated preseason has elicited more anticipation than trepidation heading into the regular season — especially compared to Fields and Trubisky. Williams has a long way to go and likely will struggle early. But despite some typical rookie moments — including three consecutive three-and-outs against Bengals back-ups last week — Williams has shown legitimate evidence that he eventually can be the kind of elite quarterback Fields and Trubisky were not in Chicago.

The Bears are looking for the type of quarterback who makes every decision the right one, and so far, Williams is off to a good start. Making him the starter seems like a no-brainer at this point. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, hired to replace Luke Getsy, is playing to Williams’ strengths. Williams’ volume of preseason snaps has not been a big issue. He made Eberflus look like a genius for sticking with him after the three consecutive three-and-outs against the Bengals — netting a field goal and touchdown with several highlight plays in two bonus possessions.

A year ago, Fields had a 133.2 passer rating in the preseason, with three touchdown passes and no interceptions, but a breakout season in 2023 was as much hope than expectation. Williams had a 79.2 rating with no touchdowns this season, but there’s something about him that has convinced people inside and outside of Halas Hall that he is a very different animal. And it’s not just his physical talent.

“He’s a great learner,” Eberflus said. “Very smart. He works really hard but he is also able to work with others. He’s compatible personality-wise, instinct-wise with people and his willingness to learn.

“You know how some people, the first time you meet them, it’s like ‘Man, this guy is a know-it-all.’? You get that feeling. It turns you off, right? He is not that way at all. He has tremendous success — the Heisman [Trophy], first pick in the draft, very successful as a college player. His willingness to learn is second-to-none.

“He just wants to grab the information, learn and get better. When he does have adversity he rises to the challenge, and that’s what you want from your quarterback.”

For what it’s worth, Fields played 51 preseason snaps in his first season as the starter in 2022 — his second year in the NFL. Trubisky played 40 preseason snaps in his first season as the starter in 2018 — also his second year in the league.

Though Eberflus and Waldron are satisfied with Williams’ preparedness, there still is a hurdle to clear. He and the rest of the “majority of staters” who don’t play against the Chiefs on Thursday will have 22 days between games when they face the Titans in the season opener.

But Eberflus said the plan between now and then is singular: “Stay in condition,” he said. “Because we practice really hard and we’ve got to maintain the conditioning level.

“That’s got to be the key — maintain your fundamentals through drill work, through team work. That’s got to stay sharp because that’s what wins football games.”

And there was one more key factor.

“Stay healthy,” Eberflus said. “That’s getting to the first game the best we can. We have a really good plan for that. I know it’s a lot longer time [between games heading into the season] than we’ve had in the past. But we feel really good about the process.”

The Bears are 1-1 in season-opening games in Eberflus’ two years as head coach. They beat the 49ers 19-10 in the slop at Soldier Field in 2022. They lost to the Packers 38-10 at Soldier Field last year.

There’s more is at stake this time than in those rebuilding seasons. But Eberflus has confidence in Williams — and as much or more in the supporting cast the Bears hope will prevent Williams from having too much on his shoulders.

“I trust the leadership of this team more than I have in the past,” Eberflus said. “It just seems like this group is coming together really fast. It’s got a good blend of youth and a veteran presence, and strong leaders in both [groups]. So it’s been fun to watch.”