Down to the third name on the depth chart
Chicago’s quarterback room lost another body a few hours ago. Tyson Bagent has been diagnosed with a concussion and entered the league’s protocol, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported, which leaves Case Keenum in line to start against the Philadelphia Eagles next Monday night.
The Bears were already without their starter. Caleb Williams is week-to-week with a hamstring injury picked up in Sunday’s 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, a game in which Chicago’s offense never found the end zone.
Bagent only saw the tail end of it. He came on midway through the fourth quarter after Williams limped off, took the final 10 offensive snaps and went 5-of-9 for 54 yards. That brief cameo is now enough to sideline him too.
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Keenum’s numbers tell the story
Keenum is 38 and has not taken a regular-season snap in almost three years. His last appearances came in 2023 with Houston, two starts in which he completed 34 of 53 passes for 291 yards, with one touchdown against three interceptions.
He does bring mileage. Since breaking into the league in 2013, Keenum has played 80 games and started 66 of them, the profile of a veteran who has spent a decade being the emergency plan somewhere. On Monday night he would be exactly that, in one of the league’s loudest stadiums.
A bad week to be short-handed
Philadelphia on the road is a tough assignment with a healthy starter. Chicago will get there with a backup’s backup, an offense that managed three points on Sunday and a starter whose return date nobody is putting a number on. If Bagent clears the protocol quickly the picture changes, but for now the Bears are preparing as if Keenum takes the first snap.
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