The Chicago Bears entered Week 2 of the season with one of the better quarterback situations around the NFL, but less than three days later the exact opposite appears to be true.
Caleb Williams is liable to miss at least a game or two, if not more, with a hamstring strain he sustained in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings. Then backup QB Tyson Bagent, who would otherwise have stepped in as the starter, hit the league’s mandatory concussion protocol out of nowhere.
That leaves 38-year-old Case Keenum in line to start for the Bears against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football five days from now, with undrafted rookie Miller Moss the only option to serve as his backup.
Given the dire circumstances at the QB position, including a concerning lack of depth, Chicago is liable to add another signal-caller to the team this week. Perhaps the most sensible choice is former Detroit Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker, currently a member of the Tennessee Titans practice squad, who has some familiarity with the offense of Bears head coach Ben Johnson.
Bears Could Sign Hendon Hooker Off Titans’ Practice Squad, Would Not Need to Trade for Him
Hooker, 28 years old, was a third-round pick of the Lions in 2023, the second of Johnson’s three years as the team’s offensive coordinator.
The quarterback appeared in three games for Detroit in 2024, completing 6-of-9 passes for 62 yards. He spent two years with the Lions before short stints with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, eventually landing with Tennessee in April.
Chicago would not have to trade any draft assets for Hooker, as he is currently residing on the Titans’ practice squad. The Bears could sign Hooker but would have to elevate him to the active roster immediately based on league rules, which would eliminate one of the team’s 53 roster spots. They could not sign him from Tennessee and store him on the practice squad.
The Titans could block the transaction but would have to promote Hooker to their active roster in order to protect him from Chicago. That is unlikely with Cam Ward currently the team’s starter and Mitchell Trubisky occupying the QB2 role for the 0-2 Titans.
Bears Need More Depth Behind Case Keenum if Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent Miss Games
Chicago would also have to guarantee Hooker three weeks worth of pay, regardless of how they utilize him or how long they keep him with the team.
The move, were the Bears to pursue it, would be about securing depth for the QB room with a veteran player who has experience in Johnson’s offense — or at least a prior iteration of it.
Keenum is a lock to start against Philadelphia if he remains healthy and Williams and Bagent don’t. But Hooker would be a security blanket in a worst-case scenario, either behind Keenum or behind both Keenum and Moss.
Bears Can Sign Ex-Lions QB Amid Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent Injuries