After a spectacular opening week when the Chicago Bears romped to a 59-37 victory over the Carolina Panthers, the Bears scraped together only three points last Sunday in a loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Even more concerning, the game cost the Bears two quarterbacks — starter Caleb Williams with a hamstring injury, and backup Tyson Bagent, who entered concussion protocol.
On Saturday, Bears coach Ben Johnson delivered an encouraging announcement about one of those QBs.
Tyson Bagent cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol Saturday, Johnson said, putting the backup back into the Monday night quarterback mix against the Philadelphia Eagles.
But Johnson may have spoken too soon. The Bears quickly issued a clarification saying that Bagent simply “advanced through concussion protocol enough to practice Saturday.”
“Bagent has cleared the necessary steps to practice today. He has not officially cleared protocol and he is not officially ruled out of Monday night’s game,” NFL insider Adam Schefter reported.
With Williams still without a practice rep this week and Case Keenum standing by, Chicago’s starter for Monday Night Football remains unsettled with kickoff two days away.
What Bagent’s Status Means for Bears’ Monday Starter
Even if he clears protocol officials today, that does not make Bagent QB1 by default. It means he can practice Saturday and, if he handles that work and clears a final medical check, he can be active for the Eagles game.
Johnson has not committed to a starter. He said there is “still some uncertainty of who’s inactive” and added, “we want to play this thing out,” Bears insider Jason Lieser reported.
Case Keenum took first-team reps earlier in the week while both Williams and Bagent were sidelined, positioning him as the fallback if Saturday’s session doesn’t go well for Bagent. Chicago’s veteran insurance policy last threw a regular-season pass in 2023, a two-game stint with the Texans, and he started both of Minnesota’s 2017 playoff games, including the NFC Championship, according to CBS Sports.
How Bagent’s Concussion Happened, and Where Williams Stands
Bagent entered Sunday’s 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings after Williams left with a non-contact hamstring injury, then finished 5-of-9 for 54 yards in relief. Most assumed a body-slam takedown from Dallas Turner on the game’s final play caused the concussion.
Johnson said otherwise.
“I don’t know for certain. If I was guessing it was that first third down,” Johnson said, as quoted by Chicago Bears On SI.
That play came on Bagent’s first series, when Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel hit him high after an incomplete third-and-goal throw. Bagent still finished the drive and played into the Bears’ final possession, hooking up with Rome Odunze for 21 yards and Luther Burden for 18 more, before the Turner sack ended the game.
Clearing protocol within a week isn’t unheard of, though it is undoubtedly on the quick side. The NFL’s return process runs five phases with no set calendar, and a player still needs sign-off from an independent neurological consultant before contact work resumes.
The median return sits at nine days, though some players clear it in about a week, according to ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio, citing league data. Bagent was diagnosed Tuesday and cleared Saturday, roughly four days into the formal process and six days removed from the hit itself.
Williams, meanwhile, left Sunday’s game on a cart after a non-contact scramble before FOX Sports confirmed he later walked off under his own power with a hamstring injury rather than anything more serious. Williams isn’t projected to practice at all this week, by Johnson’s own estimation, though the coach hasn’t formally eliminated him from Monday’s equation.
Saturday’s practice and Sunday’s final injury report should settle who leads Chicago onto the field Monday night. Whichever quarterback gets the call, the Bears have little time to sort it out before four more games against the Jets, Packers, Falcons and Patriots.
Bears Announce Encouraging Tyson Bagent News Before Eagles Game