Caleb Williams cleared to return in Week 6

Williams was all the way back in this one, returning to action after three weeks on the sideline recovering from a hamstring injury. His only real miss of the day came on a ten yard throw to Colston Loveland that should have been an easy touchdown. Williams tormented the pass-funnel Atlanta defense with middle-of-the-field throws, along with typical out-of-structure passes to the sideline. It was an impressive outing against a Falcons defense giving up the league’s fifth lowest drop back success rate. Williams should remain in lineups in Week 7 against the Patriots.

Williams will make his return to the starting lineup after being sidelined for a few weeks with a hamstring injury while the Bears declared RB Kyle Monangai, CB Tyrique Stevenson, LB T.J. Edwards, LB Keyshaun Elliott, OL Jordan McFadden, DL Jayden Loving, and QB Case Keenum inactive against Atlanta. Monongai’s absence should translate into another big workload for D’Andre Swift, facing a tough Falcons rush defense. Meanwhile, Tyson Bagent will serve as Williams’ backup.

Normally, social media posts don’t count for much. However, earlier today, Bears coach Ben Johnson said that the Bears should have more clarity on Williams’ status by the end of the day, after the medical team put Williams through “the final stress tests” in his return-to-play program. We are inferring that Williams’ social media post suggests he passed the final medical testing, though we have not officially received word that this is indeed the case. For now, we tentatively expect Williams to play on Sunday. He can be treated as a mid-to-low QB1.

The Bears are smartly taking a conservative approach with their franchise quarterback. Williams had a limited practice session last week and practiced fully this week. Bears coach Ben Johnson told reporters that the team should have more clarity by the end of the day on whether Williams has passed his return-to-play plan’s final stress tests. Stay tuned.

The Bears’ QB1 is seemingly on track to make his return this week, when his team takes on the Falcons. When speaking to reporters after practice, though, Williams said he does not know if he is going to play yet, adding that he still has a number of tests and protocols to go through before he’s cleared. If active, Williams could end up running a little less frequently than he did early in the year, perhaps playing cautiously in his first game back. Regardless, Williams is a low-end QB1 if he is indeed active.

Technically, Williams was estimated as a full participant ahead of the Bears’ Week 6 game against the Falcons. We’ll see if Williams, who has missed the past three games, practices in full on Thursday. Either way he’s likely to be under center against the pass-funnel Atlanta defense in Week 6. He should be in all lineups if he’s active.

Head coach Ben Johnson said on Sunday that Williams would be “close” to suiting up for Week 6, and he reportedly had a good workout before Week 5’s game against the Packers. Williams has missed the last three games with the hamstring injury he suffered in Week 2, but the Bears have managed to go 2-1 over that span. Williams logged one limited practice last week, after being a DNP on Wednesday and Thursday. If he can get on the practice field multiple days this week, it would be a good sign for his availability for next week’s game against the Falcons.

Why the Bears went through the dog and pony show of labeling Williams as “questionable” when everybody knew he would not be playing, nobody knows. Either way, Williams appears to have a strong chance of returning for Week 6 against the Falcons. Expect another run-heavy game plan, even without Monangai, in what should be the final game of the Tyson Bagent experience for the time being.

Williams is technically listed as questionable for Week 5 versus the Packers, but Tyson Bagent is fully expected to make the start. Still, Williams’ return to practice on Friday was a pleasant surprise for Bears fans. If all goes well in practice next week, he could return after missing just three games, which was on the short end of his projected timeline.

Bears coach Ben Johnson told reporters on Monday that Tyson Bagent will start against the Packers this week. Fast forward a few days and the odds have changed slightly. Williams did a little throwing, practicing in a limited capacity today, and is progressing through his rehab plan. That said, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Bagent will “most likely” get the start. We expect that to be the case. Regardless, make sure Williams is rostered in 12-team formats.