Case Keenum suddenly has a very different role with the Chicago Bears.
The 38 year old quarterback spent most of his time as an extra voice in Chicago’s quarterback room. Now, with Caleb Williams dealing with a hamstring injury and Tyson Bagent in concussion protocol, Keenum is getting first team reps ahead of Monday night’s matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Now that does not mean Keenum has been named the starter. Bears head coach Ben Johnson said Wednesday that the team still isn’t sure who will be under center Monday night. But Keenum is the only active Bears quarterback practicing right now, which gives him an opportunity he admitted he never expected at this stage of his career.
Keenum wasn’t expecting this opportunity
Case Keenum has been around the NFL long enough to understand how quickly a quarterback’s situation can change – He also understands that being a backup means preparing for opportunities that may never come.
“I prepare every week,” Keenum said. “It’s just a lot more mental reps. So it was nice getting a few more reps today.”
Keenum hasn’t played in a regular season game since Dec. 24, 2023, when he was with the Houston Texans. Now that preparation suddenly matters.
Keenum isn’t walking into Monday night having spent the season waiting for someone to get hurt. He says he has been doing the same thing he has always done, only with more mental preparation than physical reps. That is exactly what Chicago needs from its third quarterback right now.
“He’s just been a baller from the day that he was born from what I can tell,” Johnson said Wednesday. “He’s got that way about him. He’s got a knack. His teammates gravitate to him.”
The Chicago Bears went into Week 3 expecting Williams to be their starter and Bagent to be his immediate backup. Williams is now week to week with a right hamstring injury, while Bagent is working through the NFL’s concussion protocol after taking over in Sunday’s 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
The veteran has been preparing for this
Case Keenum’s comments also explain why the Chicago Bears valued having a veteran with his experience in the quarterback room.
There is no guarantee he will start Monday. Williams has not officially been ruled out, and Bagent has additional time to work through the concussion protocol because Chicago doesn’t play until Monday night.
But Keenum is doing exactly what he can control. “You just go day at a time,” he said. “You go a meeting at a time, a practice at a time, a film session at a time, and just plug away and just keep working.”
Then he delivered the line that probably best sums up his approach. “When you’re prepared, you don’t have to get prepared. So try to stay prepared.”
That’s a pretty simple philosophy for a 38 year old quarterback who has spent most of his time in Chicago watching from the sideline.
The Bears still have several days to see where Williams and Bagent stand. Until then, Keenum has a much simpler job. Stay ready.
He didn’t expect this opportunity at 38. But he also hasn’t spent his career waiting for an opportunity to arrive before preparing for it. Now he gets to find out whether all those mental reps can translate when the lights come on.
Case Keenum Reveals His Plan Amid Bears’ QB Uncertainty