The Bears' Season Now Waits on One MRI

Caleb Williams left Soldier Field on a cart Sunday, unable to put weight on his right leg, and the Bears' fast start left with him.

It happened in the fourth quarter of a 9-3 loss to Minnesota, first-and-goal at the 6-yard line. Williams rolled left, pulled up without being touched, and slid to the ground in obvious pain, grabbing the back of his leg before being helped to the sideline.

Nobody hit him. A soft-tissue injury with no contact to blame is often the hardest one to read before the tests come back.

Backup Tyson Bagent took over, and on Chicago's final possession drove the Bears to the Minnesota 12-yard line, going 5 of 9 for 54 yards on the day, before Dallas Turner sacked him on fourth-and-2 with one second left.

Bears coach Ben Johnson sounded calm about it afterward. "I've called plays for him all preseason, so we'll be fine," he said. Bagent is a fourth-year pro out of Division II Shepherd who started four games as a rookie in 2023, going 2-2. Chicago already backed its confidence with a two-year, $10 million extension. Case Keenum sits third on the depth chart if Bagent needs the day off.

The early word on Williams was better than the picture of him leaving on a cart suggested. He walked out of the locker room afterward under his own power, with only a slight limp. NBC Sports' Mike Florio reported Sunday night that the Bears' internal hope is a Grade 1 hamstring strain, the mildest grade, with only minimal tearing of the muscle fibers. An MRI was scheduled for Monday to confirm it.

A Grade 1 strain can mean a return in as little as three weeks. Philadelphia visits Soldier Field for Monday Night Football in eight days, Chicago's first meeting with the Eagles all season, and Florio wrote that "even if it's only a Grade 1 strain, it's possible he won't be ready to go" in time. If he can't go, Florio added, the Bears have a high degree of confidence in Bagent, who he said performed well in limited duty Sunday.

Chicago opened the season by beating Carolina 59-37, the offense finally looking like what evaluators promised when Williams went first overall in the 2024 draft. The roster was built this offseason around him taking a third-year leap, not around living without him.

This outlet's own NFL picks columnist opened the season calling the Bears his "sleeper team of 2026," writing a week and a half ago that Williams was "ready to explode" next to receiver Rome Odunze. Nobody had a hamstring penciled in as the first real test.

The MRI is Monday morning. Bagent takes every practice rep until it comes back.