Is Ben Johnson still playing games with his QB decision?
Caleb Williams had a sometimes awkward and contentious press conference Thursday at Halas Hall — his first media availability since he suffered a Grade ... er, a lower body injury of uncertain degree against the Vikings on Sept. 20. But the point is, he was there, which likely means he'll start against the Falcons on Sunday in Atlanta.
Or so we're supposed to think, anyway. While that scenario sounds logical, it's also possible that Ben Johnson wants us to think Williams will start against the Falcons. The underlying message of that uncomfortable press conference Thursday is that Johnson loves gamesmanship. He plays it to his own discredit — inadvertently putting Williams in a bad spot by saying he could play against the Eagles following the Vikings game, just to try and keep Vic Fangio up at night. That's the biggest reason Thursday's press conference with Williams was so awkward in the first place. (Kudos to Dan Bernstein of "Dan Bernstein Unfiltered" for being the first to nail this angle.)
Gamesmanship, in fact, led to another bad look for the otherwise unassailable Johnson. He was so miffed that everyone figured out (or at the very least, presumed) that Tyson Bagent would start against the Jets on Oct. 4 that he actually had Case Keenum take the first snap (a pitch to D'Andre Swift that you or I could have made), just to stick it to everyone who knew that Bagent would start. The smartest guy in the room doesn't like it when everyone else is as smart as he is, no matter how rare a moment that might be.
So it wouldn't be a big surprise if Johnson had Williams do the weekly starting-quarterback press conference just to throw everyone off the scent, with the intent on starting a back-up (likely Keenum but possibly Bagent) against the Falcons. That seems even more plausible now that Williams has been listed as questionable for Sunday's game in the Bears' final schedule injury report Friday.
And that actually would be the prudent move with a quarterback recovering from a hamstring injury of any degree. Johnson likely saw his coaching career flash before him with Bagent's poor performance in a 31-7 loss to the Packers on Sunday at Lambeau Field. And while that might lead him to starting Williams at the first moment of physical readiness, it also might lead him to avoid the risk of losing Williams again — perhaps for an even longer period — with an injury that is as prone to aggravation as a hamstring. Even if it lowers the Bears' chances to beat the Falcons on Sunday (though still very possible with a back-up quarterback), it would be worse to play the final 11 games — or a majority of them — without Caleb Williams.
Starting Williams on Sunday and then four days later against the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks in Seattle next Thursday seems like a risk not worth taking in the big picture. It might be better to start him against the Seahawks and then get 10 days before the next game — against the Buccaneers on Nov. 8 at Soldier Field, followed by a full bye week before facing the Saints on Nov. 22 at Soldier Field.
The latter scenario makes the most sense. Hamstring injuries are notoriously tough to figure. The player almost always feels like he's at full strength in practice and walk-throughs but game speed sometimes proves to be the Mike Tyson punch you couldn't prepare for.
Johnson surely knows this. Arguably his biggest headache as Bears coach — the saga of cornerback Kyler Gordon — started as a hamstring injury in training camp last season. after missing the first four games, Gordon played in back-to-back games, but then missed five games (and 10 of the next 11 games) with groin and calf injuries that might or might not have been related to the hamstring issue.
And linebacker T.J. Edwards had a similar experience last season. Edwards missed the season opener in 2025 with a hamstring injury, then played in Week 2 against the Lions but aggravated the hamstring injury and missed the next two games.
That's the way it is with hamstrings, including quarterbacks. In 1999, Shane Matthews missed two games with a hamstring injury but returned against the Redskins at RFK Stadium — three weeks after he initially suffered the injury. It seemed like a risky move for Bears coach Dick Jauron — as I wrote prior to that game, "aggravating a hamstring is so common, it seems like part of the rehab."
But Matthews started and aggravated the hamstring injury late in the first half — and missed the rest of that game (giving way to Cade McNown, who threw three touchdowns passes in a 48-22 loss, but that's another story) and the next four games.
That might or might not be a cautionary tale for Johnson. Williams is four weeks removed from the injury; Matthews was three weeks out. But Matthews wasn't the runner Williams is and one "sharp cut" was all it took to aggravate the injury. Williams figures to use his legs much more. So it still might not be worth the risk, especially considering the short-week scenario that follows. And, for what it's worth, Johnson's luck has been running a little cooler this season than last.
So Caleb Williams appearing at the weekly press conference might indeed be a tell — just not what you think it is. That's how Ben Johnson rolls.
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