Johnny Knox

The Roy Williams-Johnny Knox saga seems like an ‘‘either-or’’ proposition. But that’s not how the Bears see it.

Even if Williams solidifies his role as the No. 1 split end when the regular season commences Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons at Soldier Field, ‘‘we still play Johnny,’’ Bears wide receivers coach Darryl Drake said. ‘‘Johnny’s earned the right to it. He’s still going to go in there.

‘‘There are going to be times Roy needs to come out. We’ve got that luxury. We can play them all. It shouldn’t be a situation where a guy has to go 10 plays in a row. We don’t want to do that. We’ve done that in the past because we had to. We don’t have to anymore.’’

While the Wiliams-Knox situation has been debated outside of Halas Hall, Drake says having both of them on the team is a blessing.

‘‘The best thing for Roy right now is Johnny. The best thing for Johnny is Roy — because they push each other,’’ Drake said. ‘‘Roy has made Johnny better. Johnny has made Roy see that there’s no free lunch. So they’ve made each other better. And hopefully that’ll continue.’’