As the Chicago Bears prepare to face off against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football, they’ll be without star quarterback Caleb Williams.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bears have officially ruled Williams out for Week 3’s matchup against the Eagles.
That said, former Bears star skill playmakers Matt Forte and Alshon Jeffery appeared on Good Morning Football and shared their thoughts on Williams.
Former Bears Matt Forte, Alshon Jeffery Shared Their Thoughts on Caleb Williams
Matt Forte didn’t just talk about Caleb Williams, but also how the city is behind both him and head coach Ben Johnson.
“There’s something when you get a coach and a quarterback duo that gets together. We haven’t had that in a long time. We’ve had the coach sometimes and not the quarterback or we’ve had the quarterback without the coach. So, to get those matched together, it’s a special duo to have them. But, I mean, they both in their own right. Like the way he schemes his offenses and plays and the way that Caleb can make plays, extend plays and make things happen is something special. So that’s why the city is behind everything they’re doing right now, and that’s why we’re hype about it.”
Forte framed the Bears’ current buzz not as hype around a single star, but as the rare alignment of a coach and quarterback who complement each other: Ben Johnson’s scheme and Caleb Williams’ ability to extend plays and make something out of nothing.
Alshon Jeffery also chimed in on the conversation, specifically around Williams, adding, “I feel like the sky’s the limit for him. Like, he hasn’t even reached his peak. I feel like Year 4 or 5 he gonna really have the league on fire. But right now, what he’s doing, him and Ben, and the chemistry, the team, I feel like he’s relentless. Like he’s just even keel.”
Alshon Jeffery echoed that sentiment from a different angle, focusing on Williams’ trajectory rather than the present moment. Together, the two takes build one consistent case: the belief isn’t just in what Williams is doing now, but in the chemistry around him and the ceiling still ahead.
—@MattForte22 on @ChicagoBears‘ HC Ben Johnson and QB Caleb Williams 🔥
Williams’ New Estimated Return
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport, Williams new estimated timeline to return is three to four weeks due to a Grade 2 hamstring injury.
“This doesn’t mean that Williams, whom the Bears have touted as a quick healer, couldn’t return sooner than that timeline,” they wrote. “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.”
However, Ben Johnson isn’t ruling out the possibility of Williams returning sooner than expected.
“This guy’s a little bit different than the average human being. I said that last night, I’ll double down on that. He gets back — he has in the past — a lot faster than what people can anticipate, and so I’m not putting a timeline on this.”
Perhaps he can make his return in Week 4 against the New York Jets.
Former Bears Matt Forte, Alshon Jeffery Send Message on Caleb Williams