Ben Johnson Leaves No Doubt About Bears' Week 5 QB Decision Between Tyson Bagent, Case Keenum

The Chicago Bears will enter Week 5 with some uncertainty at the quarterback position.

But that's only because we don't know the status of quarterback Caleb Williams, who has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury.

Williams was initially given a three-to-four week timeline because of his Grade 2 hamstring strain, and with Williams not practicing at all last week, it looks like he's headed for another absence.

If that turns out to be the case, head coach Ben Johnson made it quite clear who is going to be under center in Week 5.

"Tyson (Bagent) has earned the right to be our No. 2 quarterback. I have a lot of confidence in him," Johnson said after Sunday's victory, per The Score's Chris Emma.

As far as his review of how Bagent played on Sunday, when he led the Bears to a 23-12 win over the New York Jets, Johnson was pleased with what he saw.

"I thought he played really well today, efficient with the football," he added. "I thought he did a great job with the operation."

Long-standing confidence

Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent. — Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent (17) gives a thumbs up after the game against the New York Jets at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Johnson has always expressed a ton of confidence in Bagent, even as far back as February, when Johnson said he believes Bagent is one of the 32-best signal-callers in the NFL.

"I'm of the mind the mindset he's probably one of the best 32 (QBs) in the NFL. His preseason tape over the past few years has probably confirmed that in my opinion," he said.

Johnson made those comments while trade rumors were swirling around his quarterback. That's another aspect of Bagent playing: he could improve his stock to the point where the Bears can flip Bagent for a solid return down the road.

But, for now, he's QB1 until Williams returns.

Tyson Bagent's strong performance

Bagent completed 25-of-34 passes for 268 yards, but he didn't find the end zone and threw one pick. He might not have been as impressive as Keenum was in Week 3, but Bagent was very close and clearly did enough to earn the right to keep the job.

"It meant a lot. I thought the guys rallied behind me. I felt extreme faith from the coaches towards me," Bagent said. "Shout out to the defense. They shut them out completely on third down."

There were no doubt a few bad passes from Bagent, but his accuracy was sharp overall. The Bears should feel good about starting him next week if necessary, although Chicago should leave things open just in case Bagent struggles.

The shoutout to the defense was well-deserved, as the unit has now put together three impressive performances in a row, with two of those coming in the two games Chicago's backup quarterbacks have started.

The Bears knew everyone needed to step up with Williams out, and for the most part the entire roster has answered the bell.

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