Bears quarterback Caleb Williams practiced in full Thursday, which further points toward him returning from his hamstring injury Sunday against the Falcons.
He went through individual drills wearing a black sleeve on his right leg during the part of practice open to the media and looked agile as he worked on pocket footwork and threw on the run. There was no discernible difference in his gait.
Here’s what Williams said Thursday in his first public comments since getting hurt Sept. 20 against the Vikings:
• He doesn’t know if he’ll get the green light to play against the Falcons. Williams added that the injury has not fully healed, but there are “certain parameters that allow you to go out there and play” and “lower the risk of re-injuring.”
• He said he has been able to cut, plant and run without any issues and expects to play to his usual form.
“I can move,” he said. “I can run. I hit a top speed the other day, one of my highest speeds I’ve ever hit… I’ve got strength.”
• Williams objected strongly to the reporting on his injury over the past month, saying none of it has been accurate. He said he suffered “a tear” in his hamstring, but refused to reveal the grade of the injury. That’s very relevant, because hamstring strains range are categorized as Grade 1, 2 or 3, with a Grade 3 being the most severe.
He has been reported to have a Grade 2 hamstring strain, and missing roughly a month lines up with the typical recovery time for that. A Grade 1 includes some minor tearing, while a Grade 3 is a complete tear of the muscle.
“It’s been fun to deal with because … there’s nothing that has come out that has been right about what it is,” he said. “If you haven’t heard it from [Ben Johnson] or me, it would probably be wrong, which every single one has been.
“It was a situation where, I wouldn’t say that I wanted it, but it was nice for me to be able to learn from Case and Tyson and see how they go about their week. I haven’t been in his position, so it’s been interesting.”
The only specifics he gave Thursday were that, “It was a hamstring tear, and a pretty serious one.” When asked why he wouldn’t clarify the injury Thursday, he said, “I wouldn’t say it’s deserved to be out there.”
• Regarding the criticism that he was overdramatic about the injury when he left Soldier Field in tears, Williams made no apology for being emotional. He did not know in the moment whether the injury was season-ending.
“My character’s been attacked for a while,” he said. “It’s just another motivating factor.”