Bears' Williams Has 3-4 Week Hamstring Timeline — SkimNews
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- Caleb Williams has a Grade 2 hamstring injury that doctors said carries a 3-4 week recovery timeline, per ESPN and NFL Network sources — though the Bears have labeled him week-to-week and have not placed him on injured reserve.
- Backup QB Tyson Bagent entered the NFL's concussion protocol Tuesday and is officially questionable for Monday's game against the Eagles, despite being a full participant at Saturday's practice.
- Case Keenum, 38 and without an NFL start since 2023 with the Houston Texans, could start Monday night if Bagent can't go, with Bears coach Ben Johnson saying the team is still finalizing its quarterback depth chart.
- Johnson called Williams' test results "somewhat encouraging" and told ESPN 1000 in Chicago that Williams would be sidelined "for some time," saying "this guy's a little bit different than the average human being" and has historically healed faster than expected.
- Williams injured the same hamstring in college and went down without contact in last week's 9-3 loss to Minnesota, carted off in severe pain in the fourth quarter — pain that was likely caused by scar tissue breaking up, which the report notes doesn't lead to long-term damage.
- If Williams misses the full three weeks, he would sit out games against the Eagles, New York Jets and Green Bay Packers, with a Week 6 matchup against Atlanta appearing attainable given he wasn't placed on injured reserve.
Why it matters: A third-string 38-year-old who hasn't started since 2023 could be under center Monday night for a game against Philadelphia, just one week after Williams — the Bears' franchise QB — was carted off the field. A three-week absence would sideline Williams against the Eagles, Jets and Packers before a Week 6 Falcons matchup, putting pressure on a Bears team whose coach has repeatedly declined to put a concrete timeline on the QB's return.
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