4 things Bears fans should focus on in Hall of Fame game

The Hall of Fame game is set for Thursday, Aug. 1, at 8 pm EST, when the Chicago Bears face off against the Houston Texans. Unfortunately for Bears fans, they will have to wait at least one more week for rookie quarterback Caleb Williams’s debut. Head coach Matt Eberflus confirmed after Tuesday’s practice that the starters will not play.

But there are still reasons for Bears fans to tune in.

Here are four things to pay attention to in tomorrow night’s game.

Tyson Bagent

For now, Bagent is still listed as QB2 on the unofficial depth chart. Despite rumors that the Bears would look for a more experienced quarterback to mentor Williams, Chicago appears to be placing a lot of trust in the second-year signal-caller. Bagent saw a meteoric rise up the depth chart last offseason, from “camp arm” to backing up Justin Fields to eventually starting four games while Fields was injured.

While his stint as the starter wasn’t pretty, Bagent still went 2-2 despite jumping from Division II defenses to the NFL. He’ll be facing backups who are closer to the talent level he played against in college, so it will be interesting to see if Bagent can carve them up and prove he still belongs in the NFL.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Austin Booker

A lot of NFL draft analysts loved the potential of Austin Booker leading up to the draft. It’s been widely accepted that he’s not ready yet to take on starting NFL offensive linemen, but it will be a good test for him to compete against backups and other rookies. If Booker can show up with some splash plays in this first preseason game, he could build up some serious momentum through the rest of the preseason.

New kick-return rules

The Hall of Fame game will be the first test of the new kickoff rules the NFL has implemented for the 2024 season. For NFL fans who did not watch the XFL in 2023, they’ll finally get to see how it looks in live action. Will offenses get consistently better starting field position? We’ll soon find out. And if Velus Jones can prove he’s a legit threat as a return man, his chances of making the 2024 roster will improve mightily.

Undrafted rookies

Ian Wheeler. Theo Benedet. Austin Reed. Chicago Bears fans should pay close attention to these names in tomorrow night’s game (assuming they all play). Despite going undrafted, each player carries an intriguing X-factor. Wheeler was an electric running back and kick returner at Howard. Benedet was the 15th overall pick in the 2024 CFL draft, the fifth offensive lineman to hear his name called before signing with the Bears.

Reed is a lot like Bagent, a scrappy, undrafted quarterback from a small school who could be a sleeper. If he makes the most of his opportunity tomorrow night, he could give Bagent a run for the QB2 spot.

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