The Bears are turning to Tyson Bagent for their Week 4 matchup against the Jets with Caleb Williams still recovering from a hamstring injury. Bagent was originally slated to start in Week 3 against the Eagles, but after clearing concussion protocol too late in the week, Case Keenum got the nod. Now fully healthy, Bagent is back in the driver’s seat.
This marks Bagent’s first start since his 2023 rookie campaign, where he totaled 859 passing yards with a 65.7% completion percentage and 6.0 yards per attempt. Bagent is certainly on the athletic side, as evidenced by his 123.0 burst score, (89th percentile) however, that athletic profile has translated into minimal production on the ground, averaging just 2.4 attempts per game for his career. Even so, the Bears may choose to lean heavily on their ground game against a Jets defense that just surrendered 131 rushing yards to the Detroit Lions, as the league’s best rushing offense continues to lean on D’Andre Swift.
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During a radio show, Bears head coach Ben Johnson was asked about the quarterback situation this week and replied, “We’ll see how it plays out all week.” This is a murky situation heading into the end of the week as to who will be the signal caller on Sunday against the Jets. Johnson elaborated by saying, “We’ll have a discussion as a coaching staff and we’ll see where we need to go from here … But I said it last week, and I’ll say it again, there was a reason why Tyson [Bagent] ended training camp as our No. 2 quarterback.”
Keenum threw for 247 Yards, 2 passing touchdowns and 1 rushing touchdown last week, reassuring Bears Nation that he can effectively run an NFL offense. However, Tyson Bagent won the QB2 job on the back of a larger play sample throughout training camp and preseason. To maintain a competitive advantage, Johnson is incentivized to wait as long as possible to reveal the name of his Week 4 starter. It is also a nice problem for the Bears offensive weapons Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, and Colston Loveland to have in Caleb Williams‘ absence.
The news that Case Keenum is slated to start isn’t overly surprising. Tyson Bagent spent most of the week in the concussion protocol, returning to practice only on Saturday, just two days before the Bears’ Monday night showdown against the Eagles. Jay Glazer also noted that Bagent could start next week if the team wants to go that direction.
Although Glazer didn’t say it outright, hinting at Bagent for Week 4 strongly implies that regular starter Caleb Williams is already ruled out, despite no formal announcement or move to short-term IR. Keenum hasn’t thrown an NFL pass since 2023, when he filled in for rookie C.J. Stroud, posting a 64.2% completion rate, 5.5 yards per attempt, one touchdown, and three interceptions.
A sigh of relief for Bears fans and fantasy gamers, Tyson Bagent cleared the NFLs concussion protocol and was cleared to practice on Saturday for the Bears final practice session before Monday nights’ game against the Eagles. Bagent is a clear upgrade for the Bears offense.
Per Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT on X, Bagent is the first NFL player to be cleared without going through Steps 4 or 5. Assuming Bagent starts Monday night, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden and Colston Loveland can be started more confidently. If he is inactive on Monday, the 38-year-old Case Keenum will lead the Bears offense. Keenum would be a significant downgrade for the offense.
QB Tyson Bagent suffered a concussion late in the 4th quarter against the Vikings in Week 2. Bagent replaced starting QB Caleb Williams (hamstring) midway through the 4th quarter, completing 5 of 9 pass attempts for 54 yards with a 6.0 YPA.
With Williams likely OUT and Bagent in the concussion protocol, 3rd-string, 38-year-old veteran QB Case Keenum could get the start against the Eagles on Monday night in Week 3. Fantasy football managers will need to temper expectations for all Bears offensive skill players until Williams returns. ~Jason Diaz
It would appear the Bears have dodged a bullet with the Caleb Williams injury, especially given how severe it looked in real time. Tom Pelissero is even reporting the team won’t even rule him out from playing this upcoming Sunday, although this is almost certainly just posturing given that head coach Ben Johnson has publicly said the injury would be a “week to week” situation.
In Williams’ absence, Tyson Bagent will step in at QB1. Bagent held his own in relief duty on Sunday, completing 5-of-9 passes for 54 yards. That included a 21-yard strike to Rome Odunze, followed by an 8 yard pickup to Luther Burden that had Chicago on the doorstep, before a game-ending sack sealed the loss. Assuming Williams is ruled out, Case Keenum will serve as Bears’ QB2 when they face the Eagles on Sunday.
