The Chicago Bears have some much-needed clarity on Caleb Williams‘ scary injury, and the initial diagnosis is about as encouraging as they could have hoped for.
Williams went down on a non-contact scramble in the fourth quarter Sunday and immediately appeared to be in significant pain – He remained on the field before being helped off and eventually carted to the locker room.
It looked bad. Williams wasn’t touched on the play, and he was unable to put weight on the injured leg. The quarterback also appeared to be in obvious pain as the Bears’ medical staff attended to him.
That led to plenty of concern about the possibility of a major lower-body injury. Instead, the Bears have confirmed that Williams suffered a hamstring injury.
Adam Schefter reported Sunday afternoon that the Bears said Williams suffered a hamstring injury, confirming the initial assessment from David J. Chao, the former NFL team doctor known as ProFootballDoc.
Chao posted shortly after Williams went down that he believed the quarterback suffered a hamstring strain.
“Caleb Williams. Hamstring strain. Carted off,” Chao wrote, adding that the wet conditions were a potential factor. He also cautioned that it remains to be determined how severe the tear is.
That’s obviously an important distinction. The Bears know what body part is injured, but they don’t yet know how much damage Williams suffered.
Still, after the way the injury initially looked, this is the best-case direction Chicago could have gotten.
The Bears aren’t out of the woods yet
A hamstring injury can range from relatively minor to a significant tear that forces a player to miss substantial time. Chao’s initial assessment identified the type of injury, but he specifically said the severity remains unknown…
That’s the next piece of information Chicago needs.
Caleb Williams will need further evaluation before the Chicago Bears can put any kind of timetable on his return. Until that happens, there is no reason to assume he’ll be back next week or that this will be a short absence.
Bears still have to wait on the severity
There is still a lot that needs to be learned about Caleb Williams’ injury.
The Chicago Bears confirming a hamstring injury is significant, though. It takes some of the mystery away from what initially looked like a potentially devastating situation.
Chao’s assessment is particularly notable because he reached the hamstring conclusion almost immediately after watching the play. Now, the Bears have confirmed that same general diagnosis.
The next question is the grade of the injury.
That’s what will determine whether Williams misses one game, several games or potentially more. Chicago won’t have that answer until Williams undergoes additional evaluation.
Considering how bad the scene looked in Chicago, that’s a significant reason for Bears fans to feel better about the situation while they wait for the rest of the medical information.
The diagnosis isn’t the finish line, but it gives Chicago a much better starting point than many feared when Williams was being carted off the field.
Bears Get Best-Case Scenario Update on Caleb Williams Injury