Bears, Texans kick off NFL preseason with Hall of Fame Game on TSN

The NFL preseason kicks off Thursday with the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game between the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans.

Watch the Chicago Bears take on the Houston Texans in the Hall of Fame Game at 8pm ET / 5pm PT on TSN2, TSN.ca and the TSN App.

The game is an annual tradition of Enshrinement Week, with greats Dwight Freeney, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Julius Peppers, Patrick Willis, Randy Gradishar, and Steve McMichael all being immortalized in Canton over the coming days.

Chicago’s first-overall pick, quarterback Caleb Williams, will not appear in the contests after his request to take the field was denied by head coach Matt Eberflus.

“I always think there’s more pros than cons in anything, especially for a young guy like myself,” said Williams. “The reps are always paramount for anybody like myself – a young rookie, a second-year guy, a third-year guy.

“I would love to get out there and play… but it’s coach’s decision.”

Tyson Bagent will get the start under centre for the Bears in favour of the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner.

Bagent, 24, got an extended run as Chicago’s starter last season after Justin Fields went down with a dislocated right thumb in Week 6. In five games played as a rookie, he threw for 859 yards, three passing touchdowns and six interceptions. He also added 109 yards on the ground with two rushing scores.

The Shepherd University product will get his first taste of action under new offensive coordinator Shan Waldron, who came over from the Seattle Seahawks this off-season.

Waldron impressed in Seattle with creative play calling and his ability to get the best out of his quarterback, with both Russell Wilson and Geno Smith finding success under the 44-year-old.

A new-look offence under Waldron will be on display for his first game with the team, where he will look to change the trend that saw the Bears finish in the bottom half of the league in yards and points per game.

For the Texans, expectations have skyrocketed after adding Stefon Diggs, Danielle Hunter and Joe Mixon in the off-season after the team won its first AFC South title since 2019.

But head coach DeMeco Ryans hasn’t announced which players will be active Thursday. It is expected that most starters, including quarterback C.J. Stroud, will not play.

The former Ohio State Buckeye is coming off of a rookie season that included a Pro Bowl selection and Offensive Rookie of the Year honours.

Davis Mills, Case Keenum and Tim Boyle could all see snaps under centre in Stroud’s absence.

Mills, 25, made six appearances last season after starting for the Texans for the previous two years. From 2021-22, the Stanford product threw for 5,782 yards, 33 touchdowns and 25 interceptions in 28 games played.

One name that could take the field tonight is Canadian receiver John Metchie III. Born in Taiwan but raised in Brampton, Ont., Metchie made waves during his collegiate career at Alabama, winning second-team All-SEC honours in 2021.

He was drafted by the Texans in the second round of the 2022 draft, before sitting out what would have been his rookie season after being diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia.

The 2020 CFP champion made his NFL debut last season, catching 16 passes for 158 yards in 16 games for Houston.

In a crowded wide receiver room brimming with talent, tonight could be a prime opportunity for the 24-year-old to showcase his abilities and fight for more targets ahead of the upcoming season.

The NFL’s new kickoff rules will also be on display tonight after the owners approved the change this offseason.

While the ball still gets kicked off a team’s own 35-yard line, the other 10 players will have to lineup on their opponent’s 40-yard marker.

The receiving team is now required to have at least nine players in the new ‘set-up zone’, between the 30 and 35-yard line. There are only two players allowed inside their own 20 to return the kick.

“This is our chance to keep special teams in the game,” said NFL Competition Committee chairman Rich McKay. “Special teams have been a part of the game forever, and if you lose the kickoff, in our mind, you really pretty much eliminated special teams and put in on a punt play.”

The new rules resemble kickoffs in the XFL, which are meant to encourage teams to attempt a return rather than taking a touchback, and lower the frequency of full-speed collisions.