Ben Johnson's Answer on Bears' Week 6 Starting QB if Caleb Williams Can't Play is Telling

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson's answer is likely bad news for backup quarterback Tyson Bagent.

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson against the New York Jets at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Unlike last week, Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson was not quick to name the Week 6 starter on Monday if Caleb Williams can't play against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

After starting Case Keenum in Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson kept the Week 4 decision for who would start between Keenum and Tyson Bagent close to the vest and did not announce it publicly before starting Bagent (well, unofficially, at least).

Then, ahead of the Week 5 game against the Green Bay Packers, Johnson made the announcement early in the week, revealing Bagent would get the nod for a second straight game

Things are different this week, though. Johnson was asked who would be the starter in Week 6 if Williams can't play again, but he was not quick to name anyone. Instead, Johnson said the team plans on "assessing" the situation during the week.

"No determination has been made in terms of what direction we’re going," Johnson said of the starting decision, according to ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "There are a lot of things that we’re assessing right now."

When asked specifically if Bagent is still the No. 2 quarterback, Johnson dodged the question.

"We have three guys that can win games in this league," Johnson said.

Bad news for Tyson Bagent

Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent (17) looks to pass the ball against the Green Bay Packers during the second quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Seeing the difference in Johnson's willingness to name one of his backup quarterbacks the starter for this week is telling. We take this as a sign that Bagent's QB2 status is in real trouble, at best, and it could mean Chicago is moving off him entirely.

And, quite frankly, they should be. Bagent was terrible against the Packers and the Bears should be turning to Keenum if Williams isn't able to make it back after a three-week absence from his hamstring injury.

Bagent just looked lost on Sunday. He wasn't as accurate as he was in Week 4, and he tossed a pair of bad interceptions, which ultimately led to him getting benched for Keenum.

"We felt like we just wanted a little spark there," Johnson said of benching Bagent on Sunday. "Tyson just could never feel like he got in a rhythm here today, and so we'll look at why that was the case. The second interception happened, and we just felt like let's give Case a chance out there and see if we get different results."

Keenum came into the game and didn't fare much better, with the 38-year-old signal-caller throwing an interception and losing a fumble in what was a continuation of the poor play the Bears received from their quarterbacks in the divisional loss.

But, to be fair to Keenum, he came into an impossible situation down 31-7, so he deserves the benefit of the doubt.

As of right now, if Williams can't go, we predict it'll be Keenum, not Bagent, against the Falcons.

Arrow pointing up for Caleb Williams

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) looks on before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Thankfully, it appears the Bears may not have to decide between their two backup quarterbacks, as the chances of Williams returning in Week 6 are looking at least pretty good.

Williams showed progress on Friday by logging a limited practice, which was his first practice participation since his Grade 2 hamstring strain.

Then, on Sunday, Williams got some work in pregame and looked to be moving well before he was ruled inactive for the contest.

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported that Williams is "pushing to play" and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport noted that "all signs point to" Williams making his return against Atlanta.

If we had to guess, we'd say Williams will be under center when the Bears take the field on Sunday. We might have a clearer picture on Wednesday, when the Bears drop their first injury report.