Rome Odunze Says the Bears Feel Caleb Williams' Absence as His Hamstring Return Nears

Rome Odunze hasn’t hidden what the Chicago Bears have been missing. With Caleb Williams practicing in full Thursday and a return possibly days away, the receiver made it clear how much the offense has felt the quarterback’s absence.

“He has tremendous talent, arm ability with his legs as well,” Odunze said, according to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. “So obviously, when you’re missing a player like that on the field, you feel it.”

What the Bears have missed without Williams

Williams strained his right hamstring in Week 2 against the Vikings and has missed the last three games. Before that, he was off to a fast start, throwing for 269 yards and two touchdown passes and running for two scores in the 59-37 opener at Carolina.

The deep ball is what the Bears miss most. Williams has 12 touchdown passes of 20-plus air yards since the start of 2025, the most in the NFL, and he threw nine touchdown passes to one interception when pressured over that span, according to ESPN.

Without him, Chicago has gone 2-1 behind Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent. The bottom fell out last week in a 31-7 loss at Green Bay, where Bagent was benched after his second interception and the backups committed four of the Bears’ five turnovers. Odunze drew a team-high nine targets that day but managed three catches for 40 yards, a reminder of the backup quarterback problem.

Williams sounds ready. “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 Thursday, according to the team. He added that the decision will come at the end of the week.

Ben Johnson is keeping his options open. “It’s still fluid, but I feel good about the plan that we have in place at this point,” he said Wednesday.

The Bears lead the NFL in rushing at 173.2 yards per game, so they can win without lighting it up through the air. Getting Williams back at Mercedes-Benz Stadium would still change what Odunze and this offense can do, and after one look at last week in Green Bay, the whole locker room knows it.