Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears are optimistic he turned the corner from hamstring injury recovery to full acceleration this week.
But head coach Ben Johnson didn’t want to declare Williams ready to go Friday. Williams missed three games and said his hamstring was torn in the Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
“I’m hopeful we’ll have more clarity at the end of the day today,” Johnson said Friday after practice. “He looked good yesterday for one practice, but we got to be able to stack a few back-to-back. He got some good work in on Wednesday, it’s part of the plan and he’s on track right now.”
Williams joined defensive backs Kyler Gordon (calf) and Tyrique Stevenson Jr. (hip) as questionable to face the host Atlanta Falcons (2-3) on Sunday.
Williams would stand to become the third starter in the past four games for the Bears (3-2), who are in a three-way tie for second place in the NFC North behind undefeated Minnesota (5-0). Case Keenum started Week 3 and defeated the Philadelphia Eagles before Tyson Bagent got the call for the past two games.
Williams met with media on Thursday for the first time since his injury and shared the severity in a terse tone. Johnson said Friday that Williams showed no outward frustration around the team and was dealing with a novel set of circumstances.
“I honestly didn’t feel any frustration from him. He was just in a bit of new territory, he’s never been in the training room this much or taken a backseat in the quarterback room,” Johnson said. “His main focus was asking for guidance on how to best support the team and serve as a captain while sidelined. The only eagerness he showed was wanting to get back on the field and help the guys win.”
Running back Kyle Monangai (toe, thumb), linebackers T.J. Edwards (hamstring) and Keyshaun Elliott (quadricep) as well as defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo (quadricep) were ruled out against Atlanta.