Bears throw in a wrinkle to the final Week 5 injury report involving QB Caleb Williams that is sure to make the Packers hesitate
The Chicago Bears have released the final Week 5 injury report going into the weekend ahead of facing off against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
The Chicago Bears just wrapped up another week of practice and released the final injury report going into the team’s Week 5 matchup against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
Only two players were ruled out due to injury going into the weekend: rookie LB Keyshaun Elliott (quadricep) and second-year RB Kyle Monangai (thumb/toe). Neither player practiced this week, and Monangai’s turf toe injury could potentially keep him out even longer than one game.
Head coach Ben Johnson said that Monangai is currently in a boot to take pressure off the toe and working with a specialist to see how long he could be sidelined for.
As for the rest of the report, four players were listed as questionable, including the biggest surprise of all: QB Caleb Williams
Is Caleb Williams ready to return in Week 5?
Personally, I don’t see it happening. But, Williams was a limited participant during Friday’s practice for the first time since injuring his hamstring in Week 2. It’s a positive sign that his return is coming sooner than later.
On Monday, Johnson already noted that Tyson Bagent will start for the Bears on Sunday against the Packers, so I strongly doubt there’s an outside shot the Bears rush Williams back into action after just one day of practice. But, it’s worth noting that Johnson said on Monday that he didn’t expect Williams to practice at all. So, it was surprising to see that he was out there today in a limited capacity.
“He’s right on track,” Johnson shared ahead of Friday’s practice. “We got him throwing a little bit the other day, and we’ve got a progression set up for what that looks like. To be determined how long it will be still. . .
“We’ve got him progressively increasing the amount of running that’s going on, and of course the throwing aspect of it is a big part of his position as well. Our guys have a good plan in place, and we’re just going step-by-step with that right now. Every couple of days we’re getting this throwing protocol in and making sure there are no setbacks. So far, so good.”
What that means going forward is still unknown. The Bears travel to Atlanta in Week 6 but then it’s followed by a short week when the Bears host the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football. Chicago wants to be smart about Williams’ injury and as long as they keep winning without him, they can give him all the time he needs.
Which player will get activated first from PUP?
The three other players listed as questionable going into the weekend are all three players on the PUP list: DE Shemar Turner, LB Noah Sewell, and CB Kyler Gordon. Turner and Sewell had their 21-day practice windows opened on Sept. 23 while Gordon’s window wasn’t opened until Sept. 30.
It would be more pressing to activate Turner or Sewell back to the active roster first given their timelines. However, Gordon has been the one who’s been a full participant in each practice since returning to the facilities (Turner and Sewell have only had two days of practice as a full participant).
The other thing to note is that the Bears only have one spot open on the 53-man roster and would need to open two more spots in order to eventually bring back all three players.
“Yeah, highly likely we elevate one of them to the 53 now that we have an extra spot available. We’ll probably do that within the next couple days,” Johnson said. As for which player it would be, Johnson simply said: “We’ll see.”
Great news for the offensive line
The Bears started the week with some concern on the offensive line when LG Joe Thuney (pectoral), RG Jonah Jackson (ankle) and RT Darnell Wright (ankle) all missed practice on Wednesday. All three returned to practice as limited participants on Thursday, and fully participated on Friday with no injury designations going into the weekend. That’s good news for arguably the league’s top offensive line.
“I think probably 75 percent of the guys that have played in all four games, they’re dealing with something right now,” Johnson explained. “No one feels great. It’s that time of year already. We made it through the first quarter, and certainly offensively that last game we had a lot of snaps. It was encouraging to get all those guys back. I know that they are all mentally where they need to be to play well in this game.”
Another thing to note, veteran defensive back Cam Lewis (hip) also has no injury designation going into the weekend after missing last week’s game. So, Chicago will have him back as an option to mix into the secondary.
