Who will be playing quarterback for the Chicago Bears in Week 4 against the New York Jets?
Head coach Ben Johnson said he knows which “direction” he is going, but that information won’t be shared publicly.
“The direction’s already been made, so we’ll be in good shape for Sunday,” Johnson said Wednesday via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. The only thing we do know is that it won’t be Caleb Williams.
Williams suffered a “Grade 2 hamstring strain that is expected to keep him out for three to four weeks,” ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter shared on Sunday, September 27.
That means it’s down to third-stringer Case Keenum or backup QB Tyson Bagent.
After the Bears beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27-7 in Week 3, Johnson said there’s “a reason why Tyson ended training camp as our No. 2 quarterback” but wouldn’t share any additional information ahead of the Jets game.
This is simply Ben Johnson playing QB mind games with his former colleague, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn. By leaving this mystery unaddressed, in theory, Glenn has to spend time preparing for both possible QB options. If Johnson had just announced who his QB would be, Glenn would have the luxury of solely preparing for that one player.
Riding the Hot Hand?
Bagent would have started in Week 3, but he spent the majority of the week in the NFL’s concussion protocol. He ended up clearing right before the game to serve as QB2, but he didn’t start.
In his stead, 38-year-old Case Keenum delivered a game for the ages. He threw for 247 passing yards, had a 70.5% completion percentage, and threw two touchdown passes with zero interceptions. Keenum also added a rushing score during the contest.
Before Monday night’s contest, Keenum hadn’t started an NFL game since Christmas Eve of 2023.
Bagent, 26, entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2023. He has spent all of his three and a half seasons in Chicago. During that time, he has appeared in 13 games and has made four starts. With those opportunities, Bagent has completed 65.8% of his passes, has thrown for 971 passing yards, and has a three touchdown to six interception ratio.
The former Shepherd product signed a two-year $10 million extension with the Bears keeping him under team control through the 2027 season.
Beat Reporter Chimes In
So who will it be on Sunday?
Beat reporter Nick Faria of the Jets on SI team is convinced it’ll be Keenum.
“Yeah, look, I’ll be quite honest; I will be shocked if it’s anyone but Case Keenum,” Faria said on “The Jake Asman Show.”
“The fact that he [Keenum] was so good on third down, so good against pressure, I would be shocked if they went with Bagent over him in this particular game,” Faria added.
“It’s not hard for me at all,” Johnson said via Cronin. “I feel really good about all three quarterbacks in that room. And I know all three of them can win ball games for us.”
Bears Playing QB Mind Games With Jets Before Week 4