Ben Johnson had little optimism to offer after his Chicago Bears lost their starting quarterback to injury and their first game of the 2026 regular season on Sunday.
The Bears fell 9-3 to the Minnesota Vikings in their home opener in Week 2, but the bigger loss was former No. 1 pick and star quarterback Caleb Williams, who exited in the fourth quarter with a scary non-contact injury.
“Yeah, I just saw him a second ago,” Johnson said in Sunday’s postgame. “He’s in good spirits, a team player.”
Johnson also said that the team does not currently know the severity of Williams’ hamstring injury, but he did indicate that he was relieved to find out that his injury had “nothing” to do with his knee while acknowledging it could still present problems.
“You could kind of see it in real time,” Johnson said of the injury. “I’m actually happy that it’s nothing with the knee. That was my first inclination, but the hamstring can be pretty damaging as well, so we’ll see how bad it is tomorrow and we’ll go from there.”
Caleb Williams Exits in Tears After Non-Contact Injury
Williams seemed intent on stealing the lead for the Bears before things turned.
On a 1st-and-goal attempt from Minnesota’s 6-yard line, Williams rolled out to his left, faked a short pass to tight end Colston Loveland and then started running toward the end zone when he buckled without contact and immediately grabbed his right leg in apparent pain. He needed the help of two trainers to limp off the field.
Williams spent a few plays in the medical tent on the sideline, but the evaluation prompted the Bears to bring out the cart for Williams, who had tears in his eyes but flashed a thumbs-up to the home crowd on his way into the locker room.
The Bears have since confirmed that Williams sustained a right hamstring injury, but the severity remains unknown — as does Williams’ status for the Bears after the loss.
Tyson Bagent Replaces Caleb Williams at QB — For Now
Bears backup Tyson Bagent replaced Williams at quarterback and brought the Bears to the doorstep of a comeback against the Vikings before taking a sack on 4th-and-2 as time expired in regulation. He went 5-of-9 passing for 54 yards, including two big-time throws to wide receivers Luther Burden III and Rome Odunze on Chicago’s final drive.
The question now, though, is: Will Bagent have to start in Williams’ place in Week 3?
The Bears seem to have caught a break that Williams did not hurt his knee or Achilles in the loss to the Vikings, but a hamstring injury can create all sorts of availability problems, especially for an evasive quarterback such as Williams.
On the bright side, they have a slightly longer week ahead of them before their Monday Night Football matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, but they won’t know whether that will improve Williams’ chances of returning until they have a full picture of his injury and how much damage he sustained.
If Williams cannot play against the Eagles, then Bagent will make his first start since 2023.
Bears’ Ben Johnson Breaks Silence on Caleb Williams Injury After Vikings Loss