This was one of the strangest days of Caleb Williams’ time as Bears quarterback, and that’s saying something given the various absurdities of his rookie season.
As he continued working back from a hamstring injury with an eye on returning Sunday against the Falcons, Williams spoke publicly Thursday for the first time since getting hurt nearly a month ago. He said he didn’t know whether he’d play in Atlanta, but felt strong, fast and relatively normal after going through a full practice.
But the focus was predominantly on his annoyance with what he called incorrect reporting about the injury.
Williams said he suffered “a hamstring tear — and a pretty serious one,” in response to reports that he had a Grade 2 hamstring strain. A Grade 2 strain includes some muscle tearing, but Williams refused multiple requests to specify.
“If you haven’t heard it from [coach Ben Johnson] or me, it would probably be wrong, which every single one has been,” he said in a four-minute opening statement.
Williams said the media was “not deserving” of him clarifying the severity of the injury after weeks of what he deemed false reporting. He was unwilling to explain further and repeatedly said, “Next question,” as a Bears staffer interjected to stop the exchange.
All hamstring strains involve muscle tearing, according to Cleveland Clinic, and the grade is determined by severity. A Grade 1 wouldn’t fit the limited description he gave, while a Grade 3 could require surgery and likely would cost a player months. It’s difficult to grasp the objection without him clarifying.
If Williams returns relatively soon, whether Sunday, next Thursday against the Patriots or Nov. 2 against the Seahawks, his recovery time would line up with what is typical for a Grade 2 strain.
All the friction could easily have been corrected or, better yet, avoided.
The disconnect began the day after Williams went down Sept. 20 against the Vikings when Johnson declined to rule him out for the very next game when asked directly. While that response seemed disingenuous at the time, it fueled backlash toward Williams online and in the national media for what was perceived as overreacting to the injury when he was carted to the locker room in tears.
Johnson has been asked several times since about Williams’ injury and rehabilitation and responded minimally. Williams also has been at Halas Hall and crossed paths with reporters in the locker room, even saying hello, but never asked for a minute to clear things up.
That would’ve been reasonable, especially for a player who has had such a cordial relationship with the media. When former Bears quarterback Justin Fields took a shot at the coaching staff in 2023, he had a staff member gather reporters at his locker hours later to give a statement. Teams also have had a communications executive or other staffer provide background information to clear up perceived inaccuracies.
The Grade 2 hamstring strain report originated from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Sept. 27. Those are the two foremost news breakers in the league, and it’s common practice for teams to feed them information. Even if the medical update didn’t come from the Bears, it’s highly doubtful they would’ve left it unchecked if it was wrong.
Moving forward, Williams indicated he hasn’t fully healed, but, “There are certain parameters that allow you to go out there and play.”
He did not seem concerned about playing twice in five days if he returns Sunday, then has a short turnaround before the Bears host the Patriots on Thursday, saying, “If I’m good to go, I’m good to go.”
He went through individual drills wearing a black sleeve on his right leg during the part of practice open to the media and looked agile as he worked on pocket footwork and threw on the run. There was no discernible difference in his gait.
When asked how close he was to his usual athleticism, he said, “I can move, I can run,” and added that he recently clocked one of his fastest sprint times. The injury would not change how he plays, and he’d have no hesitation to run.
“I’ll take off,” he said.
He was doing just that when he got hurt. As Williams scrambled toward the end zone late in the 9-3 loss to the Vikings, he felt a pop and fell to the ground untouched. He didn’t know in the moment whether it would be season-ending.
The thought of being out for the season made him cry as he covered his face with a towel that day, then he got ripped for overdramatizing the injury.
“I’m always going to show emotion,” Williams said. “This is what I love to do. This puts a smile on my face. It’s everything to me, so not being able to be out there was frustrating.”
He added, “My character has been attacked for a while. It’s just another motivating factor.”
Johnson has tried to use his murky quarterback situation to his advantage in Williams’ absence and has been dodgy about naming a starter ahead of games. With Williams working back from an injury and backup Tyson Bagent coming off a disastrous game against the Packers, it’s unclear how those two and third-stringer Case Keenum stack up for Sunday.
Johnson could clear that up Friday, of course, but that doesn’t seem to be how the Bears operate.
