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Bears say Caleb Williams is week-to-week after hamstring injury
Ben Johnson said the quarterback will miss some time after tests showed no significant hamstring injury, leaving Tyson Bagent as Chicago's immediate contingency.
7 sources / Updated September 21, 2026
The Bears have a clearer answer on Caleb Williams, and it still means Chicago must plan without its quarterback for at least part of the next stretch. Coach Ben Johnson said Monday that Williams is week-to-week after injuring his hamstring in Sunday's 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Johnson said Williams will miss some time, while the team's testing did not show a significant injury.
Williams was hurt on a fourth-quarter scramble at Soldier Field. He went down short of the goal line, grabbed at his right leg and was helped off the field before being taken to the locker room on a cart. The Bears had already lost the game's offensive rhythm by then: Williams finished with 138 passing yards and an interception, and Chicago managed three points in the division loss.
The Monday update narrows the range of possibilities without supplying a return date. Johnson described the injury as a week-to-week situation in an interview carried by the Bears' radio partner, and the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the MRI did not show a significant injury. That combination is encouraging compared with the way Williams left the field, but it does not establish that he will play in the next game.
Tyson Bagent is the immediate contingency. He replaced Williams against Minnesota and will take the first-team practice repetitions if Williams cannot work. The Bears have not announced a revised depth-chart decision or a game designation, so the practical question for the offense is how much of Johnson's plan can be shifted to Bagent while Williams begins the rehabilitation process.
The injury also changes the way Chicago evaluates the 1-1 start. The Bears opened the season with 59 points, then produced only three against Minnesota before Williams left. Johnson's next decision is less about declaring the season's direction than keeping the offense functional while the medical timeline develops.
The Bears' official news lane had no separate Monday bulletin that added a more specific timetable when this report was prepared. Chicago will have to provide that detail through practice participation and the formal injury report. Until then, week-to-week and likely to miss time are the confirmed boundaries, while a return against Philadelphia remains unannounced.