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Ben Johnson Is Keeping the Falcons Guessing on Caleb Williams Until the Last Possible Moment

Expect something or nothing from the team at any time about their starting QB over the next two days before they take the field against the Atlanta Falcons.
Gene Chamberlain|
Caleb Williams is likely to be released from the sidelines but the final decision could come anytime over two days.
Caleb Williams is likely to be released from the sidelines but the final decision could come anytime over two days. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears

Here's how this is going to work with the Bears and Caleb Williams' return as they creep closer to game day in Atlanta amid the secrecy and pretense involved with Ben Johnson's injury report.

  • At some point on Saturday near 1 p.m. a revised injury report could be issued with Williams upgraded from questionable to no status. No status means he has no injury and is expected to play. He was still questionable on Friday despite practicing in full.
  • The second possibility is the Bears leave the entire thing alone and then on game day he is simply starting. In the meantime, the usual NFL network or ESPN glad-handers will receiver the news Willliams is starting. That's Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter, among others. The game is on Fox, so maybe it's diminutive Jay Glazer receiving the news. Or they could give these interlopers from the outside the news to dispense sometime late Friday or Saturday, as well.
  • Finally, there is this most unlikely of possibilities and that is Williams will sit out again because of his hamstring injury.

Williams has run the plays and this week, went through physical testing of his hamstring after doing rehab for four weeks but the Bears stopped short of labeling him their starter on Friday. Johnson essentially wants the uncertainty for the Falcons' defense to ponder. There can be no other reason for this after four weeks.

“I'm hopeful we'll have more clarity at the end of the day today," Johnson said Friday. "He looked good yesterday (Thursday) for one practice, but, we've got to be able to stack a few back-to-back. He got some good work in on Wednesday, even though we walked-through, he went through his own throwing session beforehand. So, it's part of the plan and he's on track right now.”

Asked what on track meant, Johnson provided nothing.

“He's on track to get all those check marks," Johnson said.

And finally, Johnson was asked if it meant Williams would play Sunday once he cleared all of their "check marks."

“Potentially," Johnson said.

The Bears put Williams through all sorts of testing and Williams himself estimated five or six hours of rehab a day recently. They say they are just trying to be sure he's ready by getting him past these mile markers of sorts.

“It probably is a little bit different intensity and yet that's what we're trying to work through here over the course of the week; is just getting him up to those high speeds and making sure that we don't have any effects that continue to linger on," Johnson said. "Once again, we're right on track with the plan and we'll see what it looks like, see how he feels. Confidence is a big part of it as well, but I know he wants to play.

"He's a competitor. It's been not fun for him the last few weeks watching from the sideline, just like any guy that loves football. It's been a tough deal for him. I know he's itching to get back out there and help us win ball games. If we feel really good as a front office, a coaching staff, and the player himself about playing, then we'll go ahead and go with it."

So much of Williams' game revolves around his mobility, being able to escape the pocket and run or pass or even just move in the pocket and throw. His spins, the mad dashes and jump passing are integral parts of his game. Although healed enough to play, Williams said on Thursday the fear of re-injuring the hamstring isn't enough to prevent him from scrambling.

“No. I'll take off," Williams said.

None of this says for certain he'll play, but Williams was downright bored with his rehabbing status, so he might drive Johnson nuts if he's not allowed to play.

This doesn't clear anything up for the moment, but the Bears do have Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum in case he really can't play. Keenum won his only start, 27-7 over the Eagles. Bagent started last week's 31-7 loss at Green Bay and also the 23-12 win over the Jets.

So who would the backup be? Backup passes in drills were being handled by Bagent, but the media doesn't get to see actual plays being run and play reps.

"We've got two guys that are equally qualified," Johnson said.

At least they're consistent with how they treat the news of the day.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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