Bears quarterback Caleb Williams did not practice again Friday and was ruled out of Sunday's home game against the Jets, as expected. It will be the second contest he has missed since hurting his hamstring in a Week 2 loss to the Vikings.
Coach Ben Johnson declined to announce whether Tyson Bagent or Case Keenum will start against the Jets, telling reporters: "We'll find out on Sunday."
Bagent replaced Williams versus the Vikings but sustained a concussion. He was not cleared from concussion protocol until last Sunday, one day before the Bears hosted the Eagles on Monday Night Football. That gave Keenum the opportunity to start, and he made the most of it, passing for 247 yards and accounting for three touchdowns in a dominant 27-7 victory.
Johnson has enjoyed working with both Bagent and Keenum this week in practice.
"It's been outstanding," said the Bears coach. "The quarterback room in general is really good. They all are supportive of each other. [Quarterbacks coach] J.T. Barrett does a phenomenal job of getting them prepared every week, and they've got a strong camaraderie going on."
In other news, running back D'Andre Swift fully participated in practice Friday and was not given an injury designation for Sunday's game after sitting out Thursday with knee soreness.
"Whenever you get a short week with running backs, that's what happens," Johnson said. "He's still feeling the effects of a Monday Night Football game."
Cornerback Kyler Gordon was a full participant in practice for the third straight day. He was designated to return from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list Wednesday after missing all of training camp, the preseason and the first three regular-season games with a calf injury. Last year, he was limited to three contests by injuries before returning to play in postseason games versus the Packers and Rams.
"We had extended practice on Wednesday to get some of these guys on PUP and some of the young guys some extra work in pads," Johnson said. "He looked good. It was encouraging. I call it a stress test right now and we'll see how well he holds up here over the next few weeks."
The Bears have 21 days to activate Gordon, who will be eligible to play for the first time a week from Sunday when the Bears visit the Packers in Green Bay.
"We've got to make sure he's healthy," Johnson said. "We've got a three-week window, 21 days, to where we can truly evaluate where he's at physically and make sure there's no setbacks. That's Step 1."
Johnson described Gordon as "a phenomenal football player" but acknowledged that "everybody has been in a struggle to get him out there."
"We're excited about what the future could possibly hold," Johnson said. "But it's a matter of putting in a good day's work every single day, stacking consecutive days up, and we'll take it from there. He's a very talented player; he always has been. It's just unfortunate since we got in the building a year-and-a-half ago, we haven't had him available very much, and so we'll work through that, and if he can help the team, he is going to help the team."
Left tackle Braxton Jones has been ruled out of Sunday's game with a knee injury he suffered against the Eagles. He will be replaced by Theo Benedet. Defensive back Cam Lewis (hip) is listed as doubtful.
Left tackle Ozzy Trapilo continues to ramp up from a knee injury he sustained in last season's wild card playoff win over Green Bay. The 2025 second-round pick was initially expected to miss all or most of the season, but he returned to practice Aug. 16, earlier than anticipated, and has been a full participant for more than a week.
"We're still working out Ozzy just to make sure that the confidence is back," Johnson said. "He's looking better each and every week. He was one of those guys in Wednesday night's practice in pads. He stood out in a good way. He's going the right way, and he might be available sooner rather than later. It's not going to be this week. We're going to go with Theo this week."
The Jets, meanwhile, will play without four offensive starters in running back Breece Hall (quad), receiver Adonai Mitchell (finger), tight end Mason Taylor (thumb) and left guard Dylan Parham (knee).
