When news first came out that Caleb Williams would be “week to week” following a hamstring injury that saw him carted out of Soldier Field in tears on Sunday, Bears fans were undoubtedly relieved.
But then came the question of: what happens next?
According to medical experts, the declaration is a promising sign after head coach Ben Johnson said MRI test results were “somewhat encouraging.”
“I would say it’s a lot more than somewhat encouraging because he’s not having surgery,” physician Ian Smith told “Tonight With Lou Canellis.” “There are two or three grades. Grade one is mild. Grade two moderate. Grade three severe. If it was a moderate or severe it would be much more serious. He wouldn’t be going to practice. He wouldn’t be walking on it, wouldn’t be doing anything.”
The fact that Williams hasn’t been ruled “out” is also reassuring.
“Week by week is also a good sign. Otherwise, they’d be saying it’s going to be weeks or even a couple months,” Smith said.
But beyond the “week to week” designation, there were other signs of hope for fans.
“The good sign [Sunday] night was that he walked,” Smith said. “Someone said they walked out of the locker room, right? That’s a great sign right there. But now they’re saying it’s a strain. So it’s overstretched. So there may be some micro tears, but they’re not on MRI. They didn’t see any gross, dissection or any gross ruptures or tears, which is a good sign.”
Johnson has not yet said how much time Williams could miss, if any.
“We’ll see where he’s at as the week progresses and how long that means,” Johnson said.
Williams is not expected to practice this week, but he has not yet been ruled out from playing against the Eagles Monday at Soldier Field.
“He’s right now working through every avenue that he’s got available to get back on track here,” Johnson said. “We’ll see what that looks like. Here’s what I know: 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. I’m not putting a timeline on this. We’re going to say week-to-week. He’s going to attack this with everything that he knows. He’s got a great team around him, both in this building and outside this building, and we’ll see where it goes from there.”
Still, even with news of the test results, it’s possible the team will stay cautious with Williams, whose mobility is a big part of his game. Johnson reportedly told ESPN Williams “will likely miss some time.”
Seeing Williams visibly emotional, sitting on a cart with a towel draped over his face was a scary moment for Bears fans, his coaches and teammates. After a rough rookie season, Williams had a breakout year with coach Ben Johnson in 2025 and led Chicago to an NFC North title and playoff win.
The Bears are 1-1 this season after losing to the Vikings on Sunday. They’ll be back at Soldier Field to face the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3 on Monday Night Football.
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