The Chicago Bears are hoping to get key reinforcements back this weekend, and the timing could not be more important. Injuries have piled up for Chicago, and the latest Bears injury news centers around quarterback Caleb Williams, offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo, and slot cornerback Kyler Gordon.

The word “hope” matters here. Nothing is guaranteed with any of these three players yet.

The defensive side of the ball still carries concerns though. The unit has to figure out how to slow running back Bijan Robinson with out three starters, which presents a difficult challenge for a unit trying to get back on track after a poor performance against the Green Bay Packers.

But, let’s focus more on the good news with the three potential returns we could see later this weekend.

Caleb Williams is still awaiting the green light to play on Sunday

The Bears are hoping to have their starting quarterback back after a three-game absence. Williams described the injury he suffered in Week 2 as a significant hamstring tear when he met with the media Thursday afternoon, his first press conference since getting hurt.

Starting with the facts we know about, Williams was a full participant in Thursday’s practice. That was a major step forward, but it doesn’t guarantee anything for Sunday.

“I’m hopeful we’ll have more clarity at the end of the day today,” head coach Ben Johnson said ahead of Friday’s practice. “He looked good yesterday for one practice but we’ve got to be able to stack a few back to back.”

Update: Williams was a full participant during Friday’s practice as well. That’s still not a guarantee that he will play on Sunday as he’s still listed as questionable.

Williams himself said that if he’s out there, he will play without limitation. He can hit full speed running, and he isn’t worried about the mental concern of a reinjury or changing his play style to protect the hamstring. When he plays, he’s playing like himself. The question is whether or not he can pass the stress-test before Sunday’s game.

“It’s data, loading it. I mean practice is, loading it in many different positions just because you got a D-line rushing you, so you’re putting your body in positions that you can’t really replicate because it’s more of a reaction in practice and games,” Williams explained. “You’re putting yourself in those positions in practice, that’s a stress test of being able to go through a whole week and see how it goes. Then you get to end a week, you feel good, medical approves, and strength and conditioning approves with my strength, the flexibility of it. All of that good stuff that they all know. It’s a team working together trying to get it right.”

The decision will likely not come until Sunday. If Williams can’t go, Johnson did not say who would be the immediate backup between Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum, but he did express confidence in either option. As of right now though, all signs point toward Williams clearing this last hurdle before Sunday, barring any setback.

“We’re right on track with the plan and we’ll see what it looks like, see how he feels,” Johnson added. “Confidence is a big part of it as well, but I know he wants to play, he’s a competitor. It’s been not fun for him the last few weeks watching from the sideline, just like any guy that loves football. It’s been a tough deal for him. I know he’s itching to get back out there and help us win ball games. If we feel really good as a front office, a coaching staff and the player himself about playing, then we’ll go ahead and go with it.”

Ben Johnson said it’s possible the Bears get Ozzy Trapilo involved in some capacity

Trapilo has been working behind the scenes on his recovery from a ruptured patellar tendon. It’s been a long road, but he made quick progress, and the challenge became slowing that progress down before clearing him for live game action.

He has been off the injury report completely the last couple of weeks. However, Chicago has kept him as a healthy inactive because the coaching staff didn’t feel he was quite ready for game action. This could be the week Trapilo returns after stacking multiple padded practices and regaining confidence in his leg and knee.

“We think he’s really close. We think he’s really close,” Johnson said. “There’s a chance that he’s up this week, yeah.”

Braxton Jones started at left tackle for the team early in the season before landing on injured reserve. Since then, Theo Benedet has been the full-time starter for the last two weeks, allowing seven pressures and one sack in that span.

“I’m glad he felt somewhat more comfortable out there,” Johnson said of Benedet earlier this month. “I think him and Joe (Thuney), they communicate well together on the left side, and it’s certainly something that we can continue to improve and get better at.”

It’s worth noting Benedet still saw limited action before taking over the starting role. He rotated in for one to two drives during the first three games to help keep Jones fresh. That could be the blueprint the Bears use with Trapilo too.

Even if Trapilo plays, I don’t expect him to start or play a sizable number of snaps in this game. Instead, give him one or two drives, let him deal with a pass rusher in a live setting, see how he handles it, and keep building his workload from there over the coming weeks.

Shemar Turner is back, what about Kyler Gordon?

The final situation to watch involves two defenders. Chicago activated defensive lineman Shemar Turner using the roster spot created when Montez Sweat was placed on the NFL suspension list. Turner, a second-year player, rejoined the 53-man roster after working his way back from an ACL tear he suffered last October.

Even with Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo out for this game, the Bears don’t plan to make Turner a featured player. He isn’t the magic answer opposite Austin Booker. Instead, Chicago plans to be smart with his snaps, much like how the team handled linebacker Noah Sewell last week after he came off the PUP list, and the same goes for cornerback Kyler Gordon if he ends up getting activated.

“I think just having a plan for the number of snaps that he would play in the game, I think that’s the biggest thing. Any of these guys that might be coming off of PUP or haven’t played a lot of football – we kind of did the same thing with (LB) Noah (Sewell) a little bit last week. He played, and yet I think he had 22 snaps in the game. With all these guys that might be coming off – all of them would have a limited role to start with,” defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said.

On Friday, Johnson sounded more open to the idea of bringing Gordon back, whether that’s this week or next. The Bears ultimately have to decide one way or another by next Wednesday whether to activate him to the active roster.

“He’s done a great job taking everything that we’ve assigned him so far,” Johnson said. “I feel good about him — whether that’s this week or next week — being able to contribute to this team and help us out, and there’s a number of ways he can do that. But I’m encouraged with what I’ve seen so far.”

Gordon has been a full participant in every practice since returning to the team facilities, and he would be ready for this game if the Bears decide to activate him. When healthy, he is one of the best slot cornerbacks in the league, and his return would give a real boost to a secondary that struggled against the pass last week.

“I’ve said this before. I think Kyler can help us win games,” Allen added. “When that time comes where he’s able to be out there on the field and participate and help us win games, I’m looking forward to that time.”

For now, we’re in wait and see mode with Gordon. The Bears will have to activate him onto the active roster on Saturday for him to play in Sunday’s game, and the Bears would have to make a corresponding roster move to open up a spot for him on the roster.