Who starts at QB isn’t the only question Bears’ offense must work through before Sunday’s game against the Jets
The Chicago Bears have a lot of decisions to weigh on the offensive side of the ball going into Week 4, starting with who is going to end up playing quarterback against the New York Jets.
The Chicago Bears have some big decisions to make on the offensive side of the ball this week leading up to Sunday’s game against the New York Jets, and as much as fans wanted some answers, head coach Ben Johnson simply doesn’t have them right now.
The biggest questions surrounding this offense going into Week 4 is which quarterback Johnson plans to start against Aaron Glenn’s defense. Beyond that, the Bears also have a developing situation to monitor at offensive tackle.
Let’s dive into what the team’s head coach had to say ahead of Wednesday’s practice.
Case Keenum or Tyson Bagent? Who will the Bears start at QB on Sunday?
This is easily the biggest question going on in Chicago right now. Starting quarterback Caleb Williams is “getting better everyday” in his recovery from a hamstring injury he suffered in Week 2 but won’t practice on Wednesday and is expected to miss another game.
That leaves Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent as the two options who could potentially start in Week 4 for the Bears. With Bagent dealing with a concussion last week, Keenum got the nod as QB1 on Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles and played at a high level. However, that performance didn’t guarantee him a starting opportunity again this week with Bagent now out of concussion protocol.
“We got three guys and we’ll work through the week and see where they’re at,” Johnson told reporters ahead of practice.
Last week, Keenum’s fully body of work at practice leading the offense and handling the game plan made it an easy decision to roll with him as the starter. This week, it seems like the Bears will have an open mind to see who takes full control between Keenum and Bagent to see who gives the team “the best chance to win.”
“It’s not hard for me at all,” Johnson said about making a decision one way or another. “I feel really good about all three quarterbacks in that room. I know all three of them can win ball games for us.”
Offensive tackle uncertainty following Braxton Jones’ injury
Quarterback isn’t the only position of uncertainty on offense this week. The Bears also have a situation to work through at offensive tackle throughout the week after starting left tackle Braxton Jones went down with a knee injury on Monday night.
Johnson said Jones is considered “week-to-week” and will not practice on Wednesday. That leaves Theo Benedet as the next man up at left tackle, who has played at a solid level through three games when he’s been asked to step in.
The real question is who will be the swing tackle with Benedet expected to start at left tackle? One answer could be Ozzy Trapilo, who continues to work his way back from a patellar tendon injury and is getting closer and closer to returning to game shape.
“He’s getting closer,” Johnson said of Trapilo. “I don’t know if this will be the week or not. He’s part of that mix where we’re talking about guys that we have to evaluate over the course of the week. But, if not him, I think we got other options at tackle.”
One option Johnson noted was veteran offensive lineman Jordan McFadden, who was a healthy inactive in each of the team’s three games this season. Another option is using Joe Thuney outside in place of the swing tackle with McFadden or even Luke Newman at left guard. Good news is, the Bears don’t use a swing tackle on every single play and the team has options to evaluate for those particular packages.
