Caleb Williams spoke to reporters after practice on Thursday for the first time since he hurt his right hamstring in Week 2, and the questions for the Chicago Bears quarterback started with how badly he was hurt.
He went down on a non-contact play while scrambling toward the goal line in the fourth quarter of a 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 20. Early word suggested the injury might be minor, and Williams became the subject of jokes about his emotional reaction on the field. The injury was later reported as a Grade 2 strain with a typical recovery window of three to four weeks.
When a reporter asked for the grade on Thursday, Williams confirmed the team has one and kept it to himself.
“We got a grade, but I wouldn’t say it’s deserved to be out there after all the false ones,” he said.
Pressed on why the details should stay private, he ended the exchange.
“It’s not deserving. Next question. Next question. Thank you.”
#Bears QB Caleb Williams says all reporting about his injury has been wrong:
What grade was it? “We got a grade, but I wouldn’t say it’s deserved to be out there after all the false ones.”
Why keep it private? “It’s not deserving. Next question. Next question. Thank you.” https://t.co/IVVD3JTcWy
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 15, 2026
What Williams did reveal about the hamstring
He was more open about the injury itself, describing it as a “hamstring tear, a pretty serious one.” That description sits much closer to a Grade 2 diagnosis, which is a partial tear of the muscle, than to the early suggestion that he had escaped with something small. The “false ones” he objected to appear to be the reports that played it down.
“Not being able to be out there was frustrating. That was more of the tears or whatever that was. The other half of it was everybody making jokes and all that, but that doesn’t bother me,” Williams said.
“I felt a pop. I did not know if it would be season-ending,” he added. Three missed games and his own account of a tear have since made the jokes look badly timed.
Where Williams stands for Sunday in Atlanta
The Bears listed Williams as a full participant on Wednesday and Thursday, and head coach Ben Johnson has kept to the “week-to-week” label the team has used since the injury. Chicago went 2-1 without him, beating the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets before a 31-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers last Sunday.
Williams would not commit to facing the Atlanta Falcons this weekend, and he described the full week of practice as the last real test of the hamstring.
“This is a big week. I’ve been going through cutting and planting over the past couple weeks and it’s felt good, you’ve seen me moving around on Fridays and before games,” Williams said. “But it’s different when you have to go through a full week of practice, prepare for a game, and take on that stress on the mind, body, and spirit. We’ll see how it goes.”
“Before you start asking, (I) do not know if I’m playing yet,” he said.
The Bears release their final injury report of the week on Friday, and a short week follows, with the New England Patriots up next on Thursday Night Football on Oct. 22.
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