Ben Johnson made the team’s position unmistakable this week: the Chicago Bears are not adding a quarterback before Monday Night Football against the Philadelphia Eagles. With Caleb Williams sidelined by a hamstring injury and Tyson Bagent still working through concussion protocol, that leaves 38-year-old Case Keenum as the presumptive starter, practice-squad rookie Miller Moss as the primary backup — and, if both of those options go down, actual position players filling in behind them. Johnson didn’t even commit to naming Keenum the starter as of midweek, which tells you how unsettled the whole situation really is. The coach says he’s comfortable with the depth he has. The question worth asking is whether that comfort is reality or just being hopeful.
Bears’ Quarterback Depth Faces a Real Test Against a Physical Eagles Defense
The situation is even thinner than it looks on paper. Williams is week-to-week and considered unlikely to suit up. Bagent hasn’t practiced all week. Keenum hasn’t taken a regular-season snap since 2023, and Moss has never appeared in an NFL game. If anything happens to Keenum and Moss on Monday night, Chicago doesn’t have a third quarterback on the roster at all — it has running back Roschon Johnson, who was recruited to Texas as a quarterback before switching positions; tight end Cole Kmet, who’s already the emergency long snapper and threw a pass against the Bengals last season; and receiver Rome Odunze, who played quarterback through high school. Per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, the Bears have no plans to add a passer to the practice squad this week, which means one of those names is the actual third option in a primetime game against one of the league’s more physical fronts.
The Case for Sticking With What They Have
Johnson’s confidence isn’t coming from nowhere. Chicago built its quarterback room deliberately, and the staff has treated Keenum as something closer to a fourth coach than a roster afterthought — someone who knows the offense, commands the room, and has 15 years of NFL experience to draw on if he’s forced into extended snaps. “We’ve got three guys that can play ball in this league, that have won games in this league,” Johnson said this week, defending the group he has rather than searching for one he doesn’t. Elevating Moss instead of signing a veteran keeps the roster flexible without burning a 53-man spot on someone who might only be needed for a handful of days. There’s also a practical wrinkle: bringing in a new arm days before a Monday night game means limited practice reps and zero familiarity with the playbook — potentially worse than just trusting the guy who’s already been in the building all season.
The Case for Adding Another Arm Anyway
The counterargument doesn’t need much dressing up: football is tough, and this is a lot of trust to put in a 38-year-old who’s barely played in three years and a rookie who’s never played at all. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Chicago has genuinely gamed out which non-quarterbacks could throw a pass in an emergency — that’s not a hypothetical anymore, it’s the actual contingency plan. A veteran with recent game reps would raise the floor if Keenum struggles or gets hurt, and with several experienced arms still available around the league, the cost of signing one would have been low relative to the peace of mind it buys. Choosing not to do that isn’t just a quarterback decision — it’s a bet that the injury luck breaks their way for one more week.
What the Decision Really Signals
Johnson’s stance says the Bears believe the worst of this stretch is temporary — that Keenum can steady the ship for a game or two before Williams and Bagent are back. That may prove exactly right. It may also leave Chicago dangerously thin if Monday night turns physical, or if either timeline slips. And that’s really the crux of it: signing a street free agent doesn’t cost the Bears anything meaningful. It doesn’t threaten Keenum’s standing in the room, and it doesn’t signal panic — it’s just a low-priced insurance policy for a situation that’s already this fragile. For now, the Bears are choosing continuity over that insurance. Whether that looks smart or stubborn depends entirely on what happens under center — or in the backfield — against the Eagles.
Should the Bears Sign Another QB Despite Ben Johnson’s Clear ‘No’?