Caleb Williams Is Pushing to Play, Lamar Jackson Has a ‘Real Chance,’ and the Eagles Somehow Forgot Lane Johnson Was Inactive

LAS VEGAS

Sunday is for football, and this Sunday is for the trainers’ rooms. Two franchise quarterbacks are on the mend, one team forgot to tell the world its retired tackle is actually retired, and the NFC West’s game of the year has a fresh injury report. The Ticket desk has the notebook.

Chicago: the franchise QB wants back in

Caleb Williams is officially listed as questionable, but the real news is the direction of travel. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports the Bears quarterback is “pushing to play” in Week 6 against the Falcons, and his return to practice on Friday was, per NBC Sports, a pleasant surprise for Bears fans. The hamstring injury suffered in Week 2 was supposed to cost him more time; if everything goes well next week, he could be back after missing just three games — the short end of his projected timeline.

Not so fast, though. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports Tyson Bagent will “most likely” get the start for Week 5 against the Packers, and the Bears have a progression plan with benchmarks Williams has to hit before he retakes the field. Head coach Ben Johnson has said Williams is “right on track,” but there is a real scheduling wrinkle: Chicago plays on Thursday night in Week 7, so a Week 6 return would mean an unusually short turnaround to his next game.

The Bears are 3-1 and sitting second in the NFC North. There is no fire. This is the part where a smart organization lets the hamstring heal and lets Bagent — who has been solid in relief — hold the fort one more week. Rushing a franchise quarterback back from a hamstring for a Week 5 divisional game is how you turn three missed games into eight.

Baltimore: Lamar's “real chance”

The other big quarterback watch is in Baltimore, where Ian Rapoport reports Lamar Jackson (ankle) has a “real chance” to return in Week 6 against the Browns. Jackson was ruled out for Week 5 on Friday after failing to practice once all week, and Rapoport adds that the two-time MVP has been “working like crazy” to get back on the field — that is Jackson’s goal. Tyler Huntley starts for as long as Jackson remains sidelined, and our newsroom covered Huntley getting the nod for this week's game.

Ankle injuries and dual-threat quarterbacks are a brutal combination — the whole game is the ankle. The Ravens will not, and should not, let him back until he can plant and cut at full speed. Week 6 against Cleveland at home is the softest possible landing spot for a return, which is probably not a coincidence.

Philadelphia: the case of the missing inactive

Now for the comedy. The Eagles’ decision to keep retired right tackle Lane Johnson on the 53-man roster for the rest of the season already had people confused — and on Sunday morning in London, it got worse. When Philadelphia posted its “full list” of inactive players for the game against the Jaguars, Johnson’s name was not on it. That implied to the entire world that the retired tackle was officially active for the game.

He is not. Per the Eagles, Johnson is one of the inactive players, and per the league, he was specifically listed as inactive in the team’s communications with the league — he just was not on the public list. Pro Football Talk, which flagged the omission Sunday morning, put the point plainly: if you are going to keep a retired player on the roster, you probably should not treat him as retired in your public releases.

Johnson’s retirement was announced October 6, and our newsroom covered the announcement and its mental-health context at the time. Keeping him on the roster is a salary-cap maneuver that leaves the door cracked for a return — but the public-facing sloppiness is how you end up with gamblers, fantasy managers, and beat writers all believing a retired man is suiting up. Somebody in the Eagles’ communications shop owes the league office an apology and the fans an explanation.

Seahawks-49ers: Big Cat is good to go

The afternoon’s headliner — undefeated San Francisco at Seattle, 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX — got its final injury report Friday, and the Seahawks got the news they needed. Defensive tackle Leonard Williams (ankle) carries no game status, which means he is good to go after rolling the ankle in last week’s win over the Chargers. Also clear: safety Ty Okada (hamstring), corner Nehemiah Pritchett (ankle) and linebacker Tyrice Knight (ankle).

The question marks: running back George Holani (ribs, knee) and receiver Irv Charles (knee) are both questionable. Ruled out: running back Zach Charbonnet (knee), linebacker Chazz Surratt (calf) and cornerback Julian Neal (hamstring). On the San Francisco side, the big names stay the same: Nick Bosa (knee) misses a third straight game, along with fullback Kyle Juszczyk (knee), safety Marques Sigle (ankle) and defensive tackle James Thompson (ankle). Cornerback Upton Stout (shoulder) and defensive end Mykel Williams (knee) are questionable. Our newsroom has been tracking the 49ers’ injury situation all week, and our full Sunday game guide has every kickoff and channel.

Rapid-fire around the league

A few more from the NBC Sports player-news wire, because kickers and defensive tackles matter too. In Arizona, kicker Matt Prater (knee) is not expected to play in Week 6 against the Packers, which means practice-squad call-up Chad Ryland handles kicking duties again. In Tampa Bay, defensive tackle Calijah Kancey (calf) is expected to play against the Saints, while safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (foot) is a game-time call trending toward playing. And two players hit injured reserve this week: Packers running back Chris Brooks (ankle) and Steelers receiver Michael Pittman (foot).

More from the newsroom: every NFL Sunday game that matters · the 49ers’ injury crisis · Huntley starts for the Ravens · Lane Johnson’s retirement