NFL Catchup: Saquon Barkley Among 24 Eagles On Injury Report; Caleb Williams Returns

Wednesday in the NFL brought updates on two quarterbacks working their way back from injury.

The Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears provided updates on their situations ahead of the weekend. Lamar Jackson is inching closer to a return for the Ravens, while Caleb Williams took a real step forward in Chicago.

Jackson was absent again from the portion of Ravens practice open to reporters, but there’s a “realistic chance” he plays Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. Meanwhile, Williams was a full participant in the Bears Wednesday walkthrough, the clearest sign yet that he could be back under center against the Atlanta Falcons.

Heres the latest from around the NFL on Wednesday.

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams took a real step toward returning for Sundays game against the Falcons, serving as a full participant in Chicagos Wednesday walkthrough after missing the past three weeks with a hamstring injury. 

Its a positive sign that Williams could be back on the field soon, but head coach Ben Johnson didn’t rush to say his return would come against Atlanta when asked who would start under center this week.

“Its still fluid,” Johnson told reporters, “but I feel good about the plan that we have in place at this point.”

Williams showed progress last week, logging a limited practice and working through pregame warm-ups as he inches closer to a return.

The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner was initially expected to miss three to four games after injuring his hamstring in Week 2, and the Bears went 2-1 without him, with backups Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent each starting and picking up a win, though Bagent struggled in last weeks 31-7 loss to the Packers.

Johnson also acknowledged the tight turnaround before Chicagos Thursday night game against the Falcons could factor into how the team handles the quarterback’s workload regardless of who starts.

“I don’t know that any of them are exactly 100% at this point of the season, so that’s something that we certainly look at,” Johnson said.

Running back Saquon Barkley and Wide Receiver DeVonta Smith both sat out again Wednesday as the Eagles opened their practice week ahead of Sundays game against the Panthers, both still nursing hamstring injuries. 

Barkley missed last weeks game in London after playing just four snaps against the Rams the week prior, and Smith has now missed the last two games.

Philadelphias offense has cratered without its two biggest weapons as the Eagles have managed just 404 total yards over those two losses.

Earlier in the week, head coach Nick Sirianni told reporters he was “hopeful” one or both could return this week. 

The need is especially urgent at running back, where backup Tank Bigsby is on injured reserve and third-stringer Will Shipley is now expected to miss multiple weeks with a foot injury suffered against the Jaguars. 

That left Philadelphia finishing that game with two practice-squad call-ups, Dameon Pierce and Carson Steele, and just 22 rushing yards on 18 carries — the teams lowest rushing output in a game since 2015.

Barkley and Smith are far from the only Eagles players dealing with injuries as six players sat out Wednesdays practice in total, while 11 other players were limited participants. Seven more Eagles players were listed as full participants on Wednesday’s injury report, including quarterback Jalen Hurts (calf). 

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was missing again from the open portion of Ravens’ practice Wednesday as he continues working back from the ankle injury thats already cost him one game. 

Ravens Head Coach Jesse Minter said Wednesday that Jackson was “definitely day-to-day” a