Bears Not Expecting Long-Term Caleb Williams Absence

The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero reported on Monday that a serious injury is indeed not the case for Williams and the Bears. Shortly thereafter, head coach Ben Johnson appeared on ESPN 1000 radio. He said (via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin) Williams is expected to be week-to-week at this point. While Pelissero’s report indicates Williams has not been ruled out for Week 3, Johnson said “some time” on the mend is likely in this case.

Even so, that is of course an encouraging update considering the initial concerns of a major ailment. Johnson specified (h/t Ian Rapoport of NFL Network) that Williams suffered a hamstring pull yesterday. That represents confirmation the worst-case scenario was avoided. A short stretch with the former No. 1 pick sidelined can be expected, with Cronin’s colleague Adam Schefter noting Williams was in more pain Monday morning than he was yesterday.

That will likely result in at least one start for Tyson Bagent. The former undrafted free agent has made 13 appearances to date in his career, with the most recent coming late in Sunday’s loss against the Vikings. Bagent made four starts in 2023, but none since then. That will probably change in Week 3, depending on how Williams fares in recovering over the coming days. Veteran Case Keenum would dress as Chicago’s backup in the event Bagent were to start next week.

Regardless of their situation under center, the Bears will obviously look to rebound from yesterday’s three-point showing on offense. Chicago scored 59 points in Week 1, and finding a middle ground in that regard would be key moving forward. It will be interesting to see if Williams suiting up against the Eagles one week from today becomes a distinct possibility of if Johnson names Bagent the starter in short order.

Chicago taking a cautious approach in this situation would come as no surprise. That could very well result in Williams – who logged a full slate in each of his first two NFL seasons – missing time, but a lengthy spell out of the fold does not seem to be in store.