Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was a full participant in practice again Thursday, but it has not yet been determined whether he will start Sunday's game in Atlanta.
The third-year pro has missed the last three contests with a right hamstring injury he sustained in Week 2. Williams returned to practice on a limited basis last Friday, worked out before Sunday's game in Green Bay and was listed as a full participant Wednesday, although the Bears held a walkthrough and not a full practice.
"[I] do not know if I'm playing yet," Williams told reporters Thursday. "[I] have to go through a bunch of medical protocols, have to go out there and practice … We'll go through the stress test this week, and at the end of the week we'll make a decision if I'm good to go or not. That's for the betterment of myself and my health and then also for the betterment of the team."
The "stress test" that Williams referenced at his press conference consists of a series of movements that test his hamstring during practice.
"This week is a big week," Williams said. "I [went] through all the cutting and planting the past couple weeks and it's felt good … But it's very different when you've got to go through a whole week of practice and then you've got to prepare for a game, the stress of the mind, body and spirit. So, we'll see how it goes this week."
This is the first time that Williams has missed time as a starting quarterback in college or the NFL. At USC in 2022, he strained his left hamstring in the Pac-12 title game Dec. 2 but started the Trojans' next contest exactly a month later in the Cotton Bowl.
"It's been interesting," Williams said. "It's been a learning curve for me and being able to learn how to be in that position and still support the guys, try and give great energy, all of that. I think that through the past couple weeks, I've gotten better each and every week. I am not talking about the injury, but just being able to handle the injury and be there to support the guys each week."
Williams said he feels like himself again, like he did before the injury.
"I hit a top speed the other day, one of my high speeds I've ever hit, so I can move, I can run, I've got the strength," he said. "It's, like I said, just going through the stress test because fibers in your hamstrings and muscles have to connect back together to be able to go out there and play a 60-minute game."
