The Chicago Bears faced a situation that they were not prepared for: losing starting quarterback Caleb Williams to his Week 2 hamstring injury. Normally, it was assumed that Tyson Bagent, the Bears’ primary backup, would be the next man up. But as he landed on the injury report, things got complicated, making way for Case Keenum. However, former Bears guard Kyle Long placed his vote for Bagent to start in Week 4 against the New York Jets.
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“Tyson Bagent earned the backup spot. I know lightning struck last week, and it has struck twice before… He is a dang good football player, and he is revered and loved by everybody who has watched the Bears since Fields was on the team,” shared Long on the Up & Adams podcast on October 2. “When he comes in, he does a great job. I tip my cap and then some to Case Keenum. But if you’re asking me who should the quarterback be, it should be Tyson Bagent.
“You don’t lose your job to injury. That’s not something that happens in the National Football League. If you get injured, somebody comes in your stead. There were times when I was injured, and somebody came in, and they did a dang good job. But I’ll tell you what, they weren’t me when I was healthy. And I think Tyson Bagent probably feels the same way.”
After Williams was sidelined in Week 2, Bagent should have stepped into the starting role, but he missed nearly the entire week of practice while dealing with a concussion. That’s when Keenum got the nod, and it was his first regular-season start since 2023 with the Houston Texans. Did Keenum make the most of the opportunity? Definitely.
After entering the season as Chicago’s third-string QB behind both Williams and Bagent, he led the Bears to a 27-7 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. He was in control of the offense from the start, finishing with 247 passing yards, a 70.6% completion rate, and two passing touchdowns, along with a quarterback sneak for another score to seal the victory.
Bagent was cleared to return before the Eagles game, but the Bears kept Keenum in. Since Keenum had already prepared for the game, the Bears refused to make any last-minute changes.
Meanwhile, not just Long, but even NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport believes that Bagent is expected to hold the reins.
“Ben Johnson mentioned Caleb Williams is gonna be out this week,” he said. “We have Tyson Bagent coming back from a concussion. My understanding is that Tyson Bagent took most of the first-team reps at practice this week. While Ben Johnson has not yet named a starter, the expectation is that the backup quarterback Tyson Bagent is the starter on Sunday.”
Bears head coach Ben Johnson told Rapoport that Bagent won the backup job out of camp for a reason, while Rapoport added that the Bears believe in the quarterback.
Bagent also has the backing of offensive coordinator Press Taylor, with his preseason passer ratings standing at 119.9 in 2024, 106.6 in 2025, and 119.3 in 2026.
“He operates the system at a high level,” Taylor said. “I mean, he’s an extremely intelligent person, extremely competitive person. You sense a little bit of him and Ben are kind of similar in the competitive edge that they both carry, but also just the intelligence they carry. We install, and he can take it to the grass right away in an hour. All our guys are that way.”
Still now, the Bears have stayed tight-lipped about whom to count on against the Jets. But Bagent is already mentally prepared for whatever Chicago brings to his table.
“I mean, once again, the situation I’m in is unbelievable to me, so nothing changes whether I’m in or not mindset-wise,” he said. “And I’m always gonna go in and try to execute each individual play to the best of my ability.”