Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams met with the media for the first time since his injury on Thursday and had a tense interaction with a Bears reporter.
That Bears reporter was The Athletic's Dan Wiederer, who pushed Williams for an answer on his exact injury diagnosis. However, the Bears quarterback was not interested in giving an answer, as he was clearly frustrated with the reporting on the subject.
"Yeah, we got a grade, but I wouldn't say it's deserved to be put out there after all the false ones," Williams said. "Next question."
"Just not deserving. Next question," Williams responded when Wiederer pressed him further for a direct answer on his injury. "Next question. Thank you. Next question."
Williams' frustration is understandable after it was initially reported that he had a minor hamstring injury, which led to ridicule over how he reacted on the field, and then later reports revealed he had suffered a more serious Grade 2 hamstring strain.
Bears reporter responds to criticism
Wiederer received no shortage of backlash from Bears fans who thought he should not have prodded once it was clear Williams wasn't going to answer.
Wiederer was a guest on "Spiegel & Holmes" on 104.3 The Score on Friday and downplayed the significance of the interaction with Williams and said he has "the utmost respect" for the quarterback.
"This is just one small exchange over 30 months of my time covering Caleb," Wiederer said. "I’ve got the utmost respect for him and the way he goes about his craft. It’s just a moment. I think the livestream nature of our world today blows everything up into something way bigger than it needs to be."
We understand the desire for information, as reporters are often criticized if they don't get as much information as possible. But once it was clear Williams wasn't going to answer, Wiederer should've backed off.
Will Caleb Williams return in Week 6?
Williams is listed as questionable to play and he did not commit to suiting up, but all signs continue to point to him returning.
Williams logged three full practices this week and head coach Ben Johnson said on more than one occasion that he's on track. But he also noted that the Bears would have to see how Williams emerges from a full week of practice.
"I'm hopeful we'll have more clarity at the end of the day today," he said on Friday. "(Williams) looked good yesterday for one practice, but we got to be able to stack a few back-to-back.
"He got some good work in on Wednesday, it's part of the plan and he's on track right now."
On Friday evening, Williams reposted a hype video on TikTok, which strongly suggests he's going to play.
We could get confirmation on Saturday, but if not we'll know no later than Sunday morning if Williams will suit up.
When it comes to who will start if Williams doesn't play, Johnson is keeping that close to the vest, which is a departure from last week when he named Tyson Bagent the starter over Case Keenum early in the week before Bagent imploded on Sunday.
Given Johnson's lack of an announcement for which backup would start, it's safe to assume he either expects Williams to play or plans on rolling with Keenum, who had the best performance of the two backups when he started in Week 3.
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