The only healthy quarterback on the Bears‘ active roster is 38 and hasn’t thrown a regular-season pass since 2023.
The Bears‘ complicated quarterback situation grew even more so Tuesday afternoon, when a source confirmed that backup quarterback Tyson Bagent had been placed in the NFL’s concussion protocol. That lines up veteran Case Keenum to start Monday night against the Eagles in the event Bagent can’t clear the protocol in time.
Caleb Williams pulled his right hamstring Sunday against the Vikings. He won’t practice this week. While coach Ben Johnson wouldn’t rule him out for the Eagles game, his participation seems unlikely.
Bagent was likely to make his first start since his rookie year in replacing Williams. That was thrown into question Tuesday, however, when word leaked about his concussion. Bagent was hit with force twice after taking over for Williams midway through the fourth quarter. He struck in the head by outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel after throwing incomplete when he rolled left on third-and-goal from the Vikings’ 5. The Vikings blocked a field goal on the next play. Bagent was also thrown to the ground by outside linebacker Dallas Turner on the game-ending sack, but appeared to land on his left shoulder.
Keenum has started four games this decade — two for the Texans in 2023 and two for the Browns in 2021. He’s been the Bears’ third-stringer during Ben Johnson’s two years with the Bears. General manager Ryan Poles regretted not having a veteran presence for Williams when he was a rookie and considered Keenum a perfect choice. The odds of him starting a game, though, were slim.
The Bears think of Bagent as one of the best 32 quarterbacks in the NFL, though. Poles and Bears coach Ben Johnson gave him a two-year, $10 million contract extension a year ago that keeps him with the Bears through next season. They rebuffed trade offers for Bagent this spring.
Bagent could still practice this week. The Vikings’ Kyler Murray was limited in practices all last week despite being in the concussion protocol. He didn’t play against the Bears but was announced as this week’s starter.
It will be instructive to see whether the Bears add another quarterback to their roster this week. They have Miller Moss, who spent all training camp as the fourth-stringer, on their practice squad. If Williams and Bagent sit out, Moss would serve as the second-stringer. The team would still likely need an emergency quarterback who wouldn’t count against their game-day roster total but could enter the game if two quarterbacks were hurt against the Eagles.
It’s unclear when Bagent reported the concussion. Johnson treated Bagent as the Bears’ next option Monday, saying he felt “strongly about what [Bagent] is capable of — and our team does, too.” He then weaved in Keenum’s name, too.
“Him and Case both have won games in this league,” Johnson said. “There’s a lot of confidence that both of those guys can get the job done if it comes to it.”
The NFL’s return-to-participation protocol features five steps.
The player is initially prescribed rest and told to avoid physical and mental activities that aggravate the concussion. They can still stretch and do balance training.
In Phase 2, they can ramp up exercise and stretching. Phases 3 and 4 allow the player do exercises in practice and participate in non-contact drills, respectively. Once the team clears the player for full contact, the player must be cleared by an independent neurological consultant in order to play in a game.
The Bears don’t have to turn in their first injury report until Thursday afternoon and don’t have to set their Monday night roster until earlier that afternoon.
