Bears coach Ben Johnson ruled out starting quarterback Caleb Williams for the game against the Jets on Sunday, as expected, but wouldn’t name a starter between backup Tyson Bagent and third-stringer Case Keenum.
Johnson didn’t think there was a wrong answer between the two. Keenum is in his 15th season, while the team believes Bagent is an ascending talent who would be good enough to start on some teams.
“I don’t know that there’s a bad choice or a wrong choice,” Johnson said before practice Friday. “We’re very, very fortunate that we’ve got guys that we believe in. The whole team believes. It’s not just the coaching staff. The whole team believes in everybody in that room.
“It’s one of those things that you can’t go wrong. You just want to make sure you’re doing right by all the guys on the team and you’re putting yourself in the best chance to win the ballgame. I’m looking forward to seeing what it looks like on Sunday.”
Williams left the Week 2 game against the Vikings with a Grade 2 hamstring injury and hasn’t played or practiced since. That type of injury can cost a player at least a month, though the Bears have remained hopeful he will return ahead of schedule.
Bagent would’ve started in his place against the Eagles, but he suffered a concussion against the Vikings and wasn’t cleared until the day before the game. That opened the door for Keenum, who was terrific in a 27-7 victory. Keenum completed 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards with two touchdowns for a 110.8 passer rating and rushed for a touchdown.