Everyone who has watched Caleb Williams play football and rooted for him, from his days as a prep star to his time at Oklahoma and USC, held their breath when Williams went down a week ago with what looked like it could be a terrible injury.
Fans feared the worst almost immediately as Williams dropped to the ground with a non-contact injury while running with the football for the Chicago Bears. His reaction to the scene didn’t help matters. It looked like Williams knew he was in dire shape.
Williams was carted off, towel on his head, looking like his season might be over.
Plot twist: His season isn’t over.
It wasn’t the initially feared Achilles injury. Instead, he had hurt his hamstring.
He’s still going to miss time, but the Bears won’t lose their QB for the season.
Now in his third season since being the No. 1 overall pick out of USC, Williams was preparing to lead the Bears to great heights.
He might still be able to do that.
Why Isn’t Caleb Williams Playing Tonight?
Williams isn’t playing on Monday Night Football for the Bears against the Eagles because he’s injured.
He was hurt in Week 2 with the Bears taking on the Minnesota Vikings on a rainy day.
As he scrambled left, he crumbled to the field despite not having been contacted.
Williams was carted off before the Bears alleviated some concern by announcing that it was a hamstring injury.
Interestingly, the Bears actually are playing their third-string QB on Monday night. Case Keenum gets the start.
Backup QB Tyson Bagent spent much of the week in concussion protocol, and although he cleared, it was Keenum who worked through the game plan with the first-string offense during the week and gets the call.
It’s not clear whether Bagent would get the starts going forward while Williams is out, or if it would remain Keenum.
When is Caleb Williams Coming Back?
The initial timetable set on a Williams return from injury is 3-to-4 weeks.
That’s what ESPN reported on Sunday.
ESPN insiders Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport added this:
“This doesn’t mean that Williams, whom the Bears have touted as a quick healer, couldn’t return sooner than that timeline. It just means that doctors believe this type of injury normally takes three to four weeks of recovery and that is the doctors’ best estimation of how long it could take Williams to recover.”
It’s officially a Grade 2 hamstring strain that Williams is attempting to heal from.
It is telling that the Bears didn’t place Williams on injured reserve, which would come with a four-game absence. That suggests they at least think he might be able to make it back without missing four games.
Caleb Williams Injury History
Williams did hurt his hamstring during his college career at USC. He played through what head coach Lincoln Riley called a “severe” hamstring injury in the Pac-12 Championship game in December 2022.
Williams also had an ankle sprain in his rookie season with the Bears that didn’t force him to miss any games.
Monday night marks the first game Williams is officially missing in college or the pros due specifically to injury.
Why Isn’t Caleb Williams Playing Tonight? Injury News, Return Timeline for USC No. 1 Pick