Tyson Bagent appears to be the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears at Green Bay on Sunday, assuming Caleb Williams is still sitting due to injury. The news broke on Monday morning, with a social media post by Chicago Tribune Bears beat writer Sean Hammond.
“Tyson Bagent will start for the Bears in Week 5 against the Green Bay Packers, coach Ben Johnson said on his weekly radio hit at ESPN-1000,” Hammond wrote.
With Williams sidelined by a Grade 2 hamstring strain, Bagent, a former undrafted free agent, now faces a Packers defense that specializes in pressuring quarterbacks.
Johnson stopped short of a formal announcement after Chicago’s 23-12 win over the New York Jets on Oct. 4.
“Tyson (Bagent) has earned the right to be our No. 2 quarterback. I have a lot of confidence in him,” Johnson said, according to The Score‘s Chris Emma.
Bagent’s Week 4 start came out before Johnson said a word. According to The Athletic‘s Dan Wiederer, it was his first regular-season start since Nov. 9, 2023. Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reported that Johnson told players Wednesday and asked them to keep it quiet. Johnson answered the leak by sending Keenum out for a ceremonial first snap, with Bagent split wide.
“I got all these memos saying Tyson was starting before I ever made an announcement, so I wanted to get Case out there for the first time. It was like a ceremonial first pitch out there, handing off the torch,” Johnson said later, as quoted by Emma.
| CHICAGO BEARS — 2026 SCHEDULE | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WK | Date | Opponent | H/A | Time / Result | TV / W-L |
| 1 | Sun, Sep 13 | @ Carolina Panthers | Away | W 59-37 | 1-0 |
| 2 | Sun, Sep 20 | Minnesota Vikings | Home | L 9-3 | 1-1 |
| 3 | Mon, Sep 28 | Philadelphia Eagles | Home | W 27-7 | 2-1 |
| 4 | Sun, Oct 4 | New York Jets | Home | W 23-12 | 3-1 |
| 5 | Sun, Oct 11 | @ Green Bay Packers | Away | 10:00 AM | FOX |
| 6 | Sun, Oct 18 | @ Atlanta Falcons | Away | 10:00 AM | FOX |
| 7 | Thu, Oct 22 | New England Patriots | Home | 5:15 PM | Prime Video |
| 8 | Mon, Nov 2 | @ Seattle Seahawks | Away | 5:15 PM | ESPN |
| 9 | Sun, Nov 8 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Home | 5:20 PM | NBC |
| WK 10 — BYE WEEK | |||||
| 11 | Sun, Nov 22 | New Orleans Saints | Home | 10:00 AM | FOX |
| 12 | Thu, Nov 26 | @ Detroit Lions | Away | 10:00 AM | CBS |
| 13 | Sun, Dec 6 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Home | 10:00 AM | FOX |
| 14 | Sun, Dec 13 | @ Miami Dolphins | Away | 10:00 AM | CBS |
| 15 | Sat, Dec 19 | @ Buffalo Bills | Away | 5:20 PM | CBS |
| 16 | Fri, Dec 25 | Green Bay Packers | Home | 10:00 AM | Netflix |
| 17 | Sun, Jan 3 | Detroit Lions | Home | 1:25 PM | FOX |
| 18 | TBD — Flex Game | @ Minnesota Vikings | Away | TBD | TBD |
| All times Eastern. Home games at Soldier Field, Chicago, IL. Bye in Week 10. Week 18 is a flex game — date and broadcast TBD. | |||||
Tyson Bagent’s Chicago Bears Resume
Bagent went 25 of 34 for 268 yards against the Jets, with no touchdowns, one interception and an 83.9 passer rating, according to StatMuse. Three more interceptions were erased by Jets penalties. Bagent credited the defense afterward.
“Shout out to the defense. They shut them out completely on third down,” he said, according to Sports Illustrated. He has a 62.4 overall grade this season, as evaluated by Pro Football Focus.
His career line stands at 129 of 192 for 1,239 yards, three touchdowns and seven interceptions. As an undrafted rookie in 2023, he went 2-2 in four starts relieving Justin Fields. This season he is 30 of 43 for 322 yards with one interception, and Johnson has called him one of the NFL’s 32 best quarterbacks, according to Sports Illustrated.
Born June 8, 2000, in Martinsburg, West Virginia, Bagent threw for 17,034 yards and 159 touchdowns at Division II Shepherd University, according to NCAA.com‘s record rundown. The touchdown total leads all NCAA quarterbacks, and he won the 2021 Harlon Hill Trophy. Chicago signed him May 5, 2023, and he re-signed for $10 million over two years in August 2025.
Caleb Williams Timeline and the Packers Test
Williams left the Sept. 20 loss to Minnesota, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport reported a Grade 2 strain a week later, according to Pro Football Talk. That injury typically costs three to four weeks. Chicago kept him off injured reserve, which would have cost at least four games. He missed Weeks 3 and 4, and the official Week 5 practice window opens Wednesday. A return Oct. 18 at Atlanta fits that timeline.
Green Bay is 2-2 and allows 26.3 points per game. Opponents convert 48.2% of third downs, according to TeamRankings. The Packers beat Tampa Bay 17-14 last week with two interceptions. They also have 10 sacks, and coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s blitz-heavy scheme produced a 40.5% pressure rate through two weeks, according to USA Today.
Bagent averages 6.6 air yards per throw and releases the ball in 2.73 seconds. Chicago leads the league with 196.3 rushing yards per game and is a 2.5-point favorite.
Case Keenum, 38, did not reclaim the job after going 24 of 34 for 247 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-7 win over the Eagles, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He started because Bagent, just out of the concussion protocol, had practiced only once that week. Bagent had finished camp as the No. 2, and Johnson kept the depth chart intact.
Will Tyson Bagent Get Another Start for the Bears in Week 5? News Breaks Monday