Although Ben Johnson hasn't named a starter at quarterback for the Chicago Bears, all indications point to Tyson Bagent. More on the Bears' quarterback room heading into the Week 4 matchup against the New York Jets.
Since the Chicago Bears' dominant 27-7 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football, head coach Ben Johnson has kept everyone guessing about who will start at quarterback against the New York Jets on Sunday at Soldier Field.
“Regardless of who our quarterback is, they have a talented group around them, talented offensive line, talented running backs, talented skill players, and they're just playing point guard," Johnson said. "They're just running the operation, and they're distributing the ball. That's all they have to worry about.”
And it looks like Tyson Bagent will be the one worrying about how to get his playmakers involved against the Jets. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Bagent is expected to start as he took "a majority of the first-team reps at practice this week."
Caleb Williams is out with a Grade 2 hamstring injury that he sustained in the fourth quarter of the Week 2 game against the Minnesota Vikings. Bagent filled in for Williams but sustained a concussion in the loss. He did not clear concussion protocol until last Sunday, allowing veteran Case Keenum to get the first-team practice reps. Keenum threw for 247 passing yards, two touchdowns and scored on a 1-yard run in the primetime game.
Johnson said the team will "look at everything" to determine the starting quarterback, including Keenum's impressive performance, which "plays a part of the evaluation," according to the Bears' head coach.
But Johnson gave two big hints this week on who he was leaning to at quarterback for this Week 4 matchup. Here's what Johnson said in his postgame press conference against the Eagles.
“We'll have a discussion as a coaching staff, and we'll see where we need to go from here," Johnson said. "But I said it last week, and I'll say it again, there was a reason why Tyson ended training camp as our number two quarterback.”
During Johnson's Wednesday media availability, he was asked about the team operating on a short week and how he creates the direction in the quarterbacks room to ensure everyone is on the same page.
"The direction's already been made so we'll be in good shape for Sunday," Johnson said.
If you follow those hints, it leads to Bagent. The former undrafted free agent out of Shepherd University hasn't started a game since his rookie year in 2023. He finished 2-2 as the starter, filling in for an injured Justin Fields. In his last game as a starter on Nov. 9, 2023, Bagent completed 20 of 33 passes for 162 yards and ran for 12 yards on six carries in the 16-13 win over the Carolina Panthers at Soldier Field.
“I think it's all just on the mental side," Bagent said on how this opportunity differs from the one his rookie year. "I think when I was in, in 2023, it was more just like one to two to three to run. Now, being in a couple different systems and being in Ben's system, if my number's called, I feel comfortable to execute, recognize coverage, and play a lot faster and smoother."
