While speaking with reporters shortly after the Chicago Bears suffered a 31-7 loss at the rival Green Bay Packers this past Sunday, Bears head coach Ben Johnson said that “it’s going to be close” regarding whether or not starting quarterback Caleb Williams could return to the lineup for Chicago’s Week 6 game at the 2-3 Atlanta Falcons on Oct. 18.
It sounds like there isn’t as much uncertainty about Williams’ status for this coming Sunday’s matchup as Johnson suggested.
Bears seem ready to announce some positive Caleb Williams news
During a Tuesday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” league insider Ian Rapoport of NFL Network/ESPN shared an update on Williams’ availability for the Bears-Falcons game.
“It looks pretty good for this week,” Rapoport said about Williams playing against the Falcons.
Williams has been sidelined since he suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain on Sept. 20, but Rapoport noted that the third-year pro looked good in a pregame workout ahead of Chicago’s loss to Green Bay. After Williams suffered his initial injury, backups Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent led the Bears to victories over the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Jets.
However, Bagent was benched at Lambeau Field on Oct. 11 after he was intercepted twice. Later in the game, Keenum threw a red-zone pick, and he finished his fill-in appearance with zero scoring drives.
Caleb Williams return timeline was apparently spot on
Some Bears fans understandably may be concerned that the club could be rushing Williams back coming off a blowout divisional loss. According to Rapoport, that isn’t the case.
“It was a three-to-four week injury,” Rapoport continued about Williams’ setback. “This is the fourth week. There’s a pretty good chance we see Caleb Williams back (this weekend).”
Johnson likely won’t offer a significant update on Williams until Wednesday at the earliest, but Rapoport’s report would lead one to believe that the 24-year-old will serve as Chicago’s QB1 in midweek practices.
Shortly after Rapoport finished his “McAfee Show” appearance, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Bears as three-point road favorites over a Falcons team that suffered a 30-23 overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens this past Sunday night.