{"id":448,"section":"sports","section_label":"Sports","url":"https://www.brokenews.co/sports/448","headline":"Caleb Williams nearing return for Bears after hamstring injury","dek":"Coach Ben Johnson says the quarterback could be back as soon as Week 6 against the Falcons in Atlanta.","body":"Caleb Williams has missed three straight games with a hamstring injury, and Bears coach Ben Johnson says the wait may be nearly over. Speaking after Sunday's loss to the Packers, Johnson called his quarterback \"close\" to returning.\n\nThat return could come as early as Week 6, when Chicago travels to Atlanta to face the Falcons. Johnson did not rule out an earlier appearance, but the timeline suggests the team is treating the hamstring cautiously after a three-game absence.\n\nThe Bears have had to navigate life without their starting quarterback for nearly a month, and Sunday's defeat to Green Bay only adds urgency to getting Williams back on the field. Whether he suits up in Atlanta or waits another week will likely depend on how he progresses in practice over the coming days.\n\nNo further details on the severity of the injury or a specific practice status were provided.","published_at":"2026-10-13T04:46:28.436033+00:00","source_count":3,"written_from":[{"outlet":"ESPN","publisher":"ESPN","title":"Bears QB Williams 'close' to returning after missing 3rd game in row","url":"https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/50161771/bears-qb-caleb-williams-close-returning-ben-johnson-says"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Ben Johnson: Caleb Williams "close" to a return","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ben-johnson-caleb-williams-close-213125673.html"},{"outlet":"Pro Football Talk","publisher":"NBC Sports","title":"Ben Johnson: Caleb Williams \"close\" to a return","url":"https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/ben-johnson-caleb-williams-close-to-a-return"}],"more_coverage":[{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Bears coach Ben Johnson announces update on Caleb Williams return timeline after ugly loss to Packers","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/bears-coach-ben-johnson-announces-210408600.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Ben Johnson sounded optimistic about Caleb Williams returning to Bears against Falcons","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ben-johnson-sounded-optimistic-caleb-212400387.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Caleb Williams nears return, and Bears show they need their QB in lopsided loss to Packers","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/caleb-williams-nears-return-bears-223419032.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Chicago Bears Injury Update: Caleb Williams is ‘on track’ and ‘close’","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/chicago-bears-injury-caleb-williams-221134398.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Caleb Williams moves closer to a return — and the Bears need him","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/caleb-williams-moves-closer-return-003749634.html"},{"outlet":"Pro Football Talk","publisher":"NBC Sports","title":"Caleb Williams moves closer to a return — and the Bears need him","url":"https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/caleb-williams-moves-closer-to-a-return-and-the-bears-need-him"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"NFL insider has significant update on Bears QB Caleb Williasm' return","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nfl-insider-significant-bears-qb-141502345.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Updated Caleb Williams return timeline is great news for Bears after Week 5 letdown","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/updated-caleb-williams-return-timeline-143320743.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Bears get optimistic news on Caleb Williams amid potential Week 6 return","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/bears-optimistic-news-caleb-williams-151601580.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Caleb Williams due back in Week 6","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/caleb-williams-due-back-week-162402203.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Caleb Williams Expected to Return for Week 6: Fantasy Impact for the Bears' Offense","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/caleb-williams-expected-return-week-194403273.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Ben Johnson thinks Caleb Williams’ Bears return is very close (but he still hedged)","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ben-johnson-thinks-caleb-williams-213352058.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Bears’ Ben Johnson doesn’t name a starting QB if Caleb Williams is out","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/bears-ben-johnson-doesn-t-220244680.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Ben Johnson Just Made Caleb Williams’ Bears Return Much More Complicated","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ben-johnson-just-made-caleb-215735823.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Ben Johnson says Bears are ‘still working through’ who will start at QB in Week 6","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ben-johnson-says-bears-still-025100844.html"}],"image":{"url":"https://nbcsports.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/88a7504/2147483647/strip/false/crop/1920x1080+0+0/resize/1920x1080!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fhdliveextra-a.akamaihd.net%2FHD%2Fimage_sports%2FNBCU_Sports_Group_-_nbcsports%2F91%2F763%2Fnbc_pftpm_ditka_261010.jpg","credit":"Pro Football Talk","width":1920},"embed":null,"license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","attribution":"Analysis data is licensed CC BY 4.0. Credit brokenews and link to the story page you took it from. Source headlines, story titles taken from a source headline, and quoted passages remain the property of their publishers and are quoted for comparison, not licensed onward.","terms":"https://www.brokenews.co/about#reuse"}