Having grown up in the Washington, D.C., metro area, Caleb Williams is excited about returning to the DMV this weekend to face his hometown team, the Commanders.
"Since I left high school, I haven't been back other than one or two times," said the Bears rookie quarterback. "So being able to go back and share that experience is going to be great, is going to be fun, and to come out with a win is going to be the most important."
Williams grew up in Washington, D.C., as well as in Bowie and Upper Marlboro, Md.
"I lived in D.C., and I lived in Maryland for a good portion of my life," Williams said. "I lived [there] in some important times in my life … at some ages that I built friendships, ties and connections. I would say I connect to both.
"Honestly, they're the best places to grow up. You have all different kinds of diversity, whether it's people and where they're from, whether it's some of the schools, whether it's the food and so much more. It's a cool area to grow up. You've got all the monuments, all these different things, historical facts. Growing up in the area provides a lot of information, provides a lot of growth, and I think it did that for me."
Contingency plan
Sunday's Bears-Commanders showdown may or may not feature a matchup of quarterbacks selected with the top two picks in this year's draft.
While Williams is set to start for the Bears (4-2), the Commanders (5-2) aren't sure whether Jayden Daniels will be able to play. The No. 2 overall pick exited last Sunday's 40-7 rout of the Panthers with a rib injury in the first quarter and did not practice Wednesday.
If Daniels is unable to start, he'll be replaced by veteran Marcus Mariota, who led Washington to points on six consecutive drives against Carolina.
The Bears are preparing for both possibilities this week in practice.
"It's a similar offense when you watch the offenses," said coach Matt Eberflus. "Of course, the different types of players in terms of who they are quarterback-wise, but our plan will be our plan, and we'll adjust. We'll have contingency plans for that, for who's in there. But we're going to stick with what we're doing."
Last Sunday Mariota completed 18 of 23 passes for 205 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 132.8 passer rating. He has appeared in 92 games with 74 starts over 10 NFL seasons, previously playing with the Titans (2015-19), Raiders (2020-21), Falcons (2022) and Eagles (2023).
"I thought he really did a nice job if you look at his rating last week," Eberflus said. "Efficient, effective during the course of that whole game and pretty much he was in the whole game, and you saw the score. He did an outstanding job."
Bears injury update
Bears safety Jaquan Brisker (concussion) and nickel back Kyler Gordon (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday. Defensive tackle Zacch Pickens (groin), cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (calf) and safety Terell Smith (hip) were limited.
Asked about Brisker, Eberflus said: "I always have concern with anyone that's in concussion [protocol]. It's a big injury. It's something that you've got to be very careful about, and our guys do a great job with those guys working through the protocol. That's why it's in place and that's why the NFL has instituted that. It's where it is right now and we're hoping that he's getting better every single day."
Running back Travis Homer (finger) and tackle Larry Borom (ankle) returned to practice on a limited basis, opening a 21-day window for the Bears to reinstate them from injured reserve.
Long snapper Scott Daly (knee) and defensive end Jacob Martin (toe) both practiced without restrictions.
