Nearly a month after being carted off the field, Caleb Williams is set to return.
The Chicago Bears’ star quarterback will return to the starting lineup after missing three games due to a hamstring injury, barring any complications during pregame warmups, OutKick confirmed. ESPN first reported Williams’ return.
When Williams went down against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 20, Bears fans feared the worst as he grabbed the back of his leg. The 24-year-old was carted off the field in the rain, but it appeared the rain cloud would hang over the Bears much longer than that Sunday.
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Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) runs with the football during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings in Chicago, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Instead, Williams is set to return against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The Bears went 2-1 without Williams.
Williams made it through a full week of practice without any setbacks but told reporters on Thursday that he wasn’t sure whether he would start against Atlanta. Williams refused to disclose the grade of his hamstring injury but called it “pretty serious.”
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Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams grimaces in pain after going down during a run in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, at Soldier Field in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The Bears started Case Keenum against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3 and won 27-7. The following week, Tyson Bagent started against the New York Jets, and the Bears won 23-12.
However, last week, the tide turned as the Green Bay Packers demolished the Bears, winning 31-7. Bagent started the game, but Keenum entered in the fourth quarter.
Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears is carted off the field after an injury against the Minnesota Vikings during the third quarter at Soldier Field on Sept. 20, 2026, in Chicago, Ill. (Getty Images)
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The Bears are 3-2, leaving them tied for second in the NFC North with the Detroit Lions and the Packers, who are also 3-2. The Vikings lead the division at 5-0, and the Bears hope Williams’ return can help close that gap.
OutKick’s Armando Salguero contributed to this report.