Ben Johnson provides updates on the Bears QB situation, including what to expect from all 3 options this week at practice
The Chicago Bears will have some uncertainty at quarterback going into Week 3, but head coach Ben Johnson is confident in all three of his options.
The Chicago Bears hit an unexpected snag at the quarterback position over the last few days that certainly has things looking uncertain going into the team’s Week 3 game on Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Last Sunday, starting quarterback Caleb Williams suffered a hamstring strain against the Minnesota Vikings on a non-contact play. It was the best case scenario for what could have been a devastating situation.
What complicates things for Chicago is that backup quarterback Tyson Bagent, who entered the game for the final two offensive drives of Sunday’s game, suffered a concussion that leaves his status for Week 3 in jeopardy as well.
On Wednesday, Bears head coach Ben Johnson provided some more updates on the team’s QB situation going into the week of preparation.
Caleb Williams is not expected to practice, but will be pushing to play on Monday
The last time we heard from Johnson on Monday, he provided more updates on Williams’ status calling him “week-to-week” and saying it was likely he would miss time. Johnson also said Williams isn’t expected to practice this week, but the team has not ruled him out for Monday’s game.
Wednesday, Johnson added that Williams has been in the building and been out there during walk-throughs and is actively involved with the team. Given his injury and the current extent of it, it’s a delicate situation for the Bears to handle over the next few days with easily their most important player.
“I know he’s an antsy individual,” Johnson said on Wednesday. “He’s a competitor. He wants to be out there on the grass going full speed. So it is a little bit more challenging to hold a guy back like that. But if you could build a player, that’s what you’d want him to be like.”
Tyson Bagent is in concussion protocol, a situation out of Ben Johnson’s control
As for Bagent, Johnson couldn’t say for certain which play caused the concussion. The widespread belief is that Bagent suffered the injury on the third down hit from Vikings linebacker Andrew van Ginkel prior to the final drive of the game, and the final play sack he took after getting body slammed by Dallas Turner probably didn’t help.
Johnson did receive work Tuesday morning that Bagent would have to undergo tests for a concussion and he has since entered into the NFL’s five-stage concussion protocol. That makes it unlikely that the training staff will clear him in time for Monday’s game.
Full confidence in Case Keenum if the Bears have to turn to QB3
If Williams and Bagent are unable to go on Monday, the Bears will turn to veteran Case Keenum, who has 66 games of starting experience under his belt going back to his rookie season in 2013. However, Keenum has not started a regular season game since 2023, but that’s not a concern to the Bears.
“He’s been a baller from I think the day that he was born, from what I can tell, he’s got that way about him,” Johnson said. “He’s got a knack, his teammates gravitate to him. I think that’s a good starting point for a quarterback. He’s up there in years a little bit, but that experience has really paid off for him… He might be a step slower than when he first entered the league, and yet his mind is going so fast, it helps catch him on up. He’s playing as good of football as he probably has his whole career, is what he would tell you.”
While it’s been a while since Keenum has seen regular season action, the Bears have seen what he can do every single day over the last two years in this offense, including the preseason games he played operating this offense in a live game setting.
“I’ve called a lot of unscripted practices for him. I’ve called a lot of preseason games for him,” Johnson added. “He’s at the point of his career where he’s like another coach in a lot of ways; he’s seen a ton, he knows what good football looks like, he knows what a healthy locker room looks like. He’s a key part of what we do. He and I talk on a regular basis. He’s a big part of this. I’m not concerned at all about calling the game for him or how he can potential play on Monday.”
