Longtime Bears backup quarterback Tyson Bagent made one of the most difficult decisions of his career last week when, knowing full well what it would cost, told the team about his concussion symptoms.
Bagent was over it by Monday when he watched third-stringer Case Keenum flourish against the Eagles in a start that would’ve been his, but the initial choice was grueling as his agent eventually convinced him protecting his health should come first.
“Your brain is far more important than being able to play in a game, no matter how high-stakes the game is,” Bagent said after practice Thursday. “We made the right decision.”
He was as supportive of Keenum as could be, saying, “I would like everything that the football world can offer me, but … I have absolutely zero ego in this and nobody is a bigger cheerleader and fan of Case Keenum than I am. He’s the epitome of what I believe a quarterback is supposed to be.”
Keenum talked Thursday, too, and couldn’t say enough about how highly he thinks of Bagent, but ultimately the Bears’ starter against the Jets on Sunday will be picked by coach Ben Johnson’s criteria. Johnson has been tightlipped about Bagent, Keenum and injured starter Caleb Williams, although Williams was out of practice again Thursday and is almost certainly going to miss his second consecutive start.
Williams is recovering from a Grade 2 hamstring strain, which is a serious enough injury to keep a player out for a month or more.
That could factor into Johnson’s calculations. The decision is not necessarily whether he believes Keenum can give him one more great game, but rather if he thinks Bagent gives the Bears the best chance over the next few: home against the Jets, then at the Packers and Falcons.
Keenum was excellent in the 27-7 win over the Eagles and completed 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards and two touchdown passes for a 110.8 passer rating. He bristled when asked Thursday how he felt about the case he made to keep starting.
“I’ve been making my case for 15 years,” he said. “I’m trying to win ballgames. I didn’t go out there to try to make a case to be anybody except myself and I’m feeling pretty good about winning the football game.”
That’s great, and it was a memorable night. He has rarely in his career, however, sustained that level of play for a sustained stretch.
As Johnson looks at the long view, the quarterbacks are at vastly different stages. While Keenum is hanging on as tightly as he can at 38, Bagent is a 26-year-old upstart in whom the team sees enormous upside.
From the time he made the roster as an undrafted rookie from Division II Shepherd University in 2023, the Bears have believed Bagent was tracking toward a starting job. There was no chance it’d be with them, of course, once they drafted Williams, but the point is that he’s still on his way up.
Johnson has dodged the question multiple times in the past week, but has pointed out twice that Bagent beat out Keenum for the No. 2 quarterback job “for a reason.”
As was true for Keenum before Monday, Bagent hasn’t started a game since 2023.
Bagent navigated his five games (four starts) in place of Fields reasonably well given the circumstances. He was just months into his NFL career, and it’s a leap from facing Kutztown University to staring down Khalil Mack on “Sunday Night Football” in Los Angeles.
This opportunity is much more like taking the wheel of a Lamborghini, and Bagent is far more developed.
“It’s all on the mental side,” he said of his growth. “Now, being in a couple different systems and being in Ben’s system, I feel comfortable to execute, recognize coverages and play a lot faster.”
Johnson reminded a national audience Monday that his play designs and calls are as much the star of the show as any quarterback. Receivers were open all night, making decisions clear-cut for Keenum in the pocket.
There’s no doubt he thinks the offense will look just as good, maybe even better, with Bagent.
