Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was diagnosed with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, NFL Network reported Sunday, which is an injury that could keep him out a month. And with backup Tyson Bagent limited during the practice week because of a concussion, the Bears plan to start Case Keenum against the Eagles on Monday, Fox reported.
Bagent practiced Saturday, cleared concussion protocol Sunday and no longer has any injury designation for Monday, making him available as a backup to Keenum, who practiced all week and was involved with every step of the game plan. Bagent was not at Halas Hall early in the week while dealing with the concussion.
The Bears likely will promote practice-squad quarterback Miller Moss to the active roster Monday so he can be the emergency third quarterback.
A Grade 2 hamstring strain can cost a player at least a month, though the Bears have maintained optimism that Williams could recover quicker. He has not practiced since suffering the injury Sept. 20 against the Vikings and has been ruled out for Monday, but coach Ben Johnson has stuck with a “week-to-week” designation on him.
The Bears don’t plan to put Williams on injured reserve, which would require him to miss a minimum of four games, but have until Monday at 3 p.m. to change their minds if they want the Eagles game to count toward the four.
“This guy’s a little bit different than the average human being,” Johnson said Monday. “He gets back — he has in the past, a lot faster than what people can anticipate.
“I’m not putting a timeline on this. We’re going to say week-to-week. He’s going to attack this with everything that he knows. He’s got a great team around him, both in this building and outside this building, and we’ll see where it goes from there.”
After hosting the Eagles on Monday, the Bears are home Sunday against the Jets then visit the Packers on Oct. 11 and Falcons on Oct. 18.
Neither Keenum nor Bagent has started a game since 2023, when Bagent filled in for four starts for Justin Fields and Keenum started twice for the Texans.
Keenum, 38, is on his eighth team in 15 seasons since making it to the NFL as an undrafted rookie out of Houston in 2012. The Bears signed him last year predominantly to be a mentor to Williams and Bagent, and he typically has been inactive as the emergency quarterback on game days.
Bagent played the final two possessions of the Bears’ 9-3 loss to the Vikings last week and took several hard hits, including what looked like a helmet-to-helmet shot by linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel. He reported concussion symptoms to the team on Tuesday.
“We want to get him healthy first and foremost,” Johnson said Saturday when asked about Bagent’s readiness to play. “That was his No. 1 priority. Then, since it’s progressed along, he was able to be in meetings [Friday] and now he’s in practice, and so he’s right on track to be right where he needs to be. Mentally, he’s going to be in a good spot for what we’re asking to do.”