Should the Bears Start Tyson Bagent or Case Keenum on Monday Night?

The Chicago Bears quarterback situation has been a roller coaster over the past week. It reached another valley with ESPN's Adam Schefter confirming that Caleb Williams hamstring strain is of the grade 2 variety.

The Bears' signal-caller is expected to be on the mend for 3-4 weeks (although he'll definitely push to return against Green Bay in Week 5). That's a story for another day, though. Right now, they're preparing to take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, and they still don't know who will be under center.

With backup Tyson Bagent working through concussion protocol, career journeyman Case Keenum took all the first-team reps on Thursday and Friday. However, Bagent returned to practice and got in a full participation on Saturday. That muddies the waters as to who will be under center in tomorrow night's game.

You could make a solid argument for both players. Which one has a stronger one, though?

The case for Case (no pun intended)

Case Keenum throwing the ball — Aug 29, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Case Keenum (11) stands in the pocket against the Tennessee Titans during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Keenum is more of a coach than a player at this stage of his career, and he'll probably make a seamless transition to the coaching ranks once his playing days are officially over. He's an invaluable asset to the locker room and has taken both Williams and Bagent under his wing.

However, with a nuclear bomb going off in Chicago's QB room against the Vikings, he was forced to dust off the 'ole arm this week. As I previously mentioned, he handled all the first-team reps in practice before Saturday. That fact alone would strengthen Keenum's case to start tomorrow night.

It's also worth noting that Keenum has seen a lot of action over his 14-year career. He has 66 starts under his belt and has seen virtually everything an opposing defensive coordinator can throw at a QB.

The Eagles happen to have one of the best in the business in Vic Fangio. He'd throw some looks at Chicago that Bagent has never seen before, and the fact that the 26-year-old probably spent a few days in a dark room without any game tape certainly doesn't help matters.

If you could put Keenum's brain in Bagent's body, then the decision would be easy. The fact that you can't makes it much more difficult.

The case for Bagent

Tyson Bagent throwing the ball — Sep 20, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent (17) throws a pass against Minnesota Vikings linebacker Dallas Turner (15) during the fourth quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

First off, it's important to note that Bagent has yet to officially clear concussion protocol. He would need to be officially cleared by tomorrow to have a shot, but his progressing through protocol quickly is a good sign for his availability.

Also, Bagent might not have participated in practice until Saturday, but he was also in the building on Friday. That would've allowed him to gain insight into the gameplan. He definitely knows the script, even if he didn't get much time to practice it this week.

The fact that Bears head coach Ben Johnson has an immeasurable amount of belief in Bagent is arguably the most important aspect of this conversation. He called him one of the league's 32 best quarterbacks at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. That's why they made him one of the league's highest-paid quarterbacks ahead of the 2025 campaign.

Some backup QBs earn their roster spot by default (because a team doesn't prioritize the position), while others can elevate the level of play of players around them. If Johnson really believes Bagent is good enough to start in the league, then there's little doubt which category he belongs to inside of Halas Hall.

Tyson Bagent has started 4 regular season games (all in his rookie year).

- 2-2 record
- 84/129 (65%)
- 776 pass yards, 3 TD, 5 INT
- 105 rush yards, 1 TD pic.twitter.com/bTDZeD3MFV
— Depressed Bears Fan (@ImBearsFan) September 22, 2026

Looking at the bigger picture, which probably doesn't weigh heavily into their decision in this case, it would also be great to see Bagent ball out if they ever intend to ship him out for draft capital. They have nothing to lose (besides the game, but Keenum isn't much of a floor raiser), and a lot more to gain with him under center.

You'd love to roster a great backup, but he's only under contract through 2027 and has said many times that he wants more for himself. He believes he's a starter in the league, and he won't be content with being Williams' backup for the long haul.

With a few hefty contracts on the horizon, they also won't be able to lock him into a relatively expensive (for backup QB standards) deal. They'd benefit from getting something in return, rather than losing him to free agency.

Tyson Bagent throwing a pass — Aug 29, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent (17) throws a pass against the Tennessee Titans during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The verdict

Personally, we think they should roll with Bagent if he's healthy. Johnson has unwavering faith in him and, even with limited reps this week, he probably gives them the best chance to win for however long Williams is on the mend.

Keenum's experience could come in handy against Fangio's defense, but he needs Johnson to scheme the perfect answer on any given play. He won't go off-script and make anything happen on his own.

Bagent certainly isn't on Williams' level in that regard (I'm not sure anyone is at this point), but he's shown some flashes throughout preseason over the years. Sure, he wasn't exactly competing against Jalen Carter and Co. in those moments, but he also wasn't playing alongside Joe Thuney and Co.

They also don't want to start a different quarterback over three straight games. Bagent should get the nod if he's good to go.

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