Caleb Williams Injury Status Confirms Bears QB is on Path for Week 6 Return

The long wait for Chicago Bears fans to see their starting quarterback again should be over this week. While speaking to the media, Bears head coach Ben Johnson confirmed that Caleb Williams would be a full participant on the Wednesday injury report, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. Because the Bears are only planning a walkthrough instead of a full practice, the injury report will only be an estimation, but this is a significant development, nonetheless.

Williams was listed as a limited participant in the Bears' final Week 5 injury report last Friday, though he remained inactive for Sunday's game. Barring any unforeseen setbacks, he should continue to be a full participant throughout the week, which would all but confirm that he will be back in the starting lineup in Week 6 against the Atlanta Falcons.

What Caleb Williams' return means for the Chicago Bears

If there was one silver lining from the Bears' disastrous Week 5 loss to the Green Bay Packers, it's that there should never again be any discussion whether Ben Johnson's offense works better without Williams. Tyson Bagent, who was making his second consecutive start, was utterly lost and turned the ball over twice before he was benched for Case Keenum, but Keenum fared no better and also turned it over twice.

The Bears converted just four of 14 third-down attempts against the Packers and averaged a meager 3.6 yards per play. Opportunities to gash Green Bay's defense for big gains regularly presented themselves, but neither Bagent nor Keenum had the arm strength, the athleticism, or the vision to make it happen. It's that magical playmaking ability that the Bears have missed most about Williams.

Honestly, Week 5 was a trip down memory lane for Bears fans to a not-so-distant past, when what we saw on Sunday was the best that could be expected from the Bears. But that's all in the past. Williams has proven to be a legitimate playmaker and a franchise quarterback. Even if he's not at 100% health, the Bears' offense should once again be one of the most dangerous in the league once No. 18 is back under center.

The Bottom Line

Amazingly, the Bears have gone 2-1 since Caleb Williams was first sidelined by a Grade 2 hamstring injury. Case Keenum led the way to an upset Week 3 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles before Tyson Bagent threw for nearly 300 yards en route to a dominant Week 4 win over the New York Jets. That 31-7 shellacking at the hands of the Packers stings, but the Bears are still 3-2 and firmly in the race for the division title.

If Williams does indeed start on Sunday, he'll have his work cut out for him. The Bears' defense got exposed last week and will now be severely shorthanded. Dayo Odeyingbo's injury update from Ben Johnson suggested that he'll miss some time, and Montez Sweat has been suspended for two games for violating NFL policy.

The Falcons offense, led by superstar running back Bijan Robinson, has been surging over the past month, and I don't expect Chicago to give them much trouble. If the Bears are to get back into the win column, they're going to need a dominant offensive performance. Luckily, Williams is itching to do exactly that.

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