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Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams met with the media on Thursday for the first time since suffering an injury, and the session included a testy exchange with Bears reporter Dan Wiederer of The Athletic. Wiederer pressed Williams for specifics on his injury diagnosis, but Williams, clearly frustrated with how the situation had been reported, declined to provide details.
"Yeah, we got a grade, but I wouldn't say it's deserved to be put out there after all the false ones," Williams said. "Next question." When Wiederer continued to seek a direct answer, Williams repeated, "Just not deserving. Next question. Next question. Thank you. Next question."
Williams' frustration stems from initial reports that characterized his injury as a minor hamstring issue, which led to ridicule over his on-field reaction. Subsequent reports revealed he had actually suffered a more serious Grade 2 hamstring strain.
Wiederer faced backlash from Bears fans who felt he should have stopped pressing once it became evident Williams would not answer. On Friday, Wiederer appeared on "Spiegel & Holmes" on 104.3 The Score and downplayed the significance of the interaction, stating he has "the utmost respect" for the quarterback.
"This is just one small exchange over 30 months of my time covering Caleb," Wiederer said. "I've got the utmost respect for him and the way he goes about his craft. It's just a moment. I think the livestream nature of our world today blows everything up into something way bigger than it needs to be."
While reporters are often criticized for not extracting enough information, once it was clear Williams was not going to answer, Wiederer should have backed off.
Will Caleb Williams Return in Week 6?
Williams is listed as questionable to play and did not commit to suiting up, but all signs point to him returning. He logged three full practices this week, and head coach Ben Johnson said multiple times that Williams is on track. However, Johnson also noted that the team would need to see how Williams responds to a full week of practice.
"I'm hopeful we'll have more clarity at the end of the day today," Johnson said on Friday. "(Williams) looked good yesterday for one practice, but we got to be able to stack a few back-to-back. He got some good work in on Wednesday, it's part of the plan and he's on track right now."
On Friday evening, Williams reposted a hype video on TikTok, strongly suggesting he intends to play. Confirmation could come Saturday, but if not, his status will be known no later than Sunday morning.
If Williams does not play, Johnson is keeping his starter close to the vest, a departure from last week when he named Tyson Bagent the starter over Case Keenum early in the week before Bagent struggled on Sunday. Given Johnson's lack of an announcement, it is safe to assume he either expects Williams to play or plans to go with Keenum, who had the best performance of the two backups when he started in Week 3.