Caleb Williams full participant in Wednesday's estimated report as Bears eye Sunday return
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is listed as a full participant on Wednesday's estimated injury report, another sign Chicago's starter is closing in on a return
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Caleb Williams took the biggest step yet in his return from a hamstring injury Wednesday, and the Bears' quarterback is now trending toward playing Sunday at Atlanta.
Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet): #Bears QB Caleb Williams will be a full participant on today's estimated injury report, coach Ben Johnson tells reporters. A sign his return is coming.
Williams has been sidelined since the start of the Week 3 loss, when he suffered a Grade 2 hamstring injury that doctors viewed as a three-to-four-week absence. Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum have handled the quarterback spot in his place, with Bagent starting last Sunday at Green Bay, so the Bears' offense has gone nearly a month without its No. 1 passer.
The estimated-report designation comes after Williams resumed throwing last week and went through a pre-game workout before Week 5, one of the reasons Rapoport noted Monday the Bears could get him back this Sunday. A full participant on the estimated report means he was not listed as limited in the team's Wednesday workout, the strongest indication yet that Chicago expects him available for the Falcons game.
The timing matters for a Bears offense that has struggled to sustain drives without him and faces a Falcons defense preparing for its own quarterback question. Chicago will also be without defensive end Montez Sweat on Sunday after he was suspended two games under the NFL's performance-enhancing substances policy, putting more pressure on the offense to carry the afternoon.