The Chicago Bears are down to their third quarterback on the roster after injuries have impacted the position group. Head coach Ben Johnson shares what he knows about veteran Case Keenum.
LAKE FOREST, Ill -- Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson is feeling fortunate.
Even though he is down his top two quarterbacks with Caleb Williams dealing with a hamstring injury and Tyson Bagent a concussion after last Sunday's 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field, Johnson still has veteran Case Keenum.
Johnson credited general manager Ryan Poles for constructing the quarterback room in a way that allows the head coach/offensive play caller to "feel really good about whoever ends up playing."
The second-year coach didn't say who the starter would be for the Monday night matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, but he did confirm that Keenum is practicing on Wednesday.
Johnson said he got a text on Tuesday that Bagent was being evaluated for a concussion, which he believes happened on the first third down play when Bagent took over for Williams.
Until the Bears' medical team clears Bagent from concussion protocol, Keenum will serve as the team's primary quarterback.
"I've called a lot of practices for him, unscripted practices," Johnson said. "I've called a lot of preseason games for him so far. So he and I, he's at the point of his career where he's like another coach in a lot of ways. He's seen a ton. He knows what good football looks like. He knows what a healthy locker room looks like and he's a key part of what we do. And so he and I talk in a regular basis, from a quarterback meeting perspective to big lens with the team. I mean, he's a big part of this and so I'm not concerned at all about calling the game for him or how he can potentially play on Monday night."
Keenum has played 80 games in his career since he entered the league the league as an undrafted free agent in 2013. The 38-year-old quarterback finished his college career at Houston as the NCAA's all-time leading passer with 19,217 passing yards and 155 touchdowns.
During the 2017 season while Keenum was with the Minnesota Vikings, he helped lead the team win the NFC North and advance to the NFC Championship Game.
"He's been a baller from the day he was born from what I can tell," Johnson said. "He's got that way about him. He's got a knack. His teammates gravitate to him. I think that's a good starting point for a quarterback. And of course he's up there in years a little bit, but that experience has really paid off for him. He sees the game the same way we do. I think he accelerates through his progressions because he's seen so many things over the course of his time. He's been in so many different offenses. So in a lot of ways, he might be a step slower than he was when he first entered the league, and yet his mind is going so fast it helps catch him on up. And he's playing as good of football as he probably has his entire career, is what he'd tell you."
With the Bears down to their third quarterback on the depth chart, Johnson understands that people outside of Halas Hall are already writing the team off. That's a position. though, that his team embraces.
"We really relish that," Johnson said. "So, guys will step up to the plate, guys that maybe we don't anticipate or expect. We have a really talented team and it's been that way. I've been saying that in the spring. I've been saying that throughout camp. High expectations for where this year can go for us so we're gonna continue to get better. We're in a race to improve. Nothing's changed. It's still the month of September in that regard. There's still plenty of things we need to clean up from last week and we need a great week of preparation here this week. So, that's really all we're concerned about right now."
