Case Keenum gave the Bears exactly what they needed in Week 3, and now Chicago has a simple but meaningful decision to make for Week 4 against the Jets: stay with the quarterback who just delivered the win, or hand the offense back to Tyson Bagent.
Caleb Williams is highly unlikely to be available because of a Grade 2 hamstring strain, leaving head coach Ben Johnson to sort out the next move under center. After Monday night’s game, Johnson made it clear the staff will take its time before settling on a starter.
“We’ll have a discussion as a coaching staff and we’ll see where we need to go from here, but I said it last week and I’ll say it again: There was a reason why Tyson ended training camp as our No. 2 quarterback,” Johnson told reporters.
That comment keeps Bagent in the conversation, but Keenum’s performance against Philadelphia makes the case for running it back. He finished 24-of-34 for 247 passing yards, threw two touchdowns, and added a rushing score in Chicago’s critical Monday night win. The Bears also got a huge lift from Luther Burden, who posted by far his best game of the season, while the defense fed off the momentum too, forcing three turnovers and piling up double-digit penalties on the Eagles offense.
Bagent is no stranger to the backup role. Outside of four starts in 2023, when he filled in for an injured Justin Fields, that’s been his NFL life. He also signed a two-year, $10 million deal in the offseason that runs through 2027, so he’s not going anywhere anytime soon unless the Bears decide to trade him, something that could make sense this offseason or before next year’s trade deadline.
There’s also no reason to worry about Bagent causing friction if Chicago sticks with Keenum. He was healthy enough to play in Week 3 after clearing concussion protocol the day before, but Johnson stayed with Keenum because the game plan and first-team reps had already been built around him.
That’s the real appeal here for Chicago: the Bears don’t have to force a permanent choice. Johnson can ride Keenum’s hot hand for as long as it’s working, then turn back to Bagent whenever the moment calls for it.
Until Williams is ready again, the Bears have options. For now, Keenum has earned the right to be first in line.
In Other News...
Roschon Johnson Is Giving The Bears A Role Few Fans Expected
Roschon Johnson has quietly become one of the more interesting early-season pieces for the Bears, even if most of his work has come far from the spotlight. Through the opening stretch of 2026, he has been on the field for 61% of Chicagos special teams plays while seeing only a small slice of offensive action, a usage pattern that stands out for a player many expected to factor more prominently on offense.
For a back whose availability has been affected by injury issues in the past, the special teams emphasis gives the Bears a different kind of value from Johnson than fans may have anticipated. The exact tackle count is a little murky, with different outlets crediting him differently, but the broader point is clear: Chicago has leaned on him in a phase of the game where effort, trust and consistency matter, and that role may say as much about his present as it does about what the Bears think he can still become. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Get A Big Week 4 Break Against The Jets
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Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis are expected to shoulder the backfield work in Halls absence, which adds another layer of uncertainty to a meeting that already carries plenty of importance for the Bears. For Chicago, any break in an opposing game plan matters, especially when it arrives this early in the season and forces a defense to adjust to a different set of personnel and responsibilities. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Can Live With One Roster Call Fans Were Ready To Regret
The Bears made a notable roster pivot when they dealt defensive tackle Gervon Dexter to the Falcons for cornerback Clark Phillips III and a 2027 fifth-round pick, a move that immediately raised eyebrows for a defense that had already been leaning on Dexters interior presence. Chicagos side of the equation was never only about on-field value, either. Salary considerations and the need for financial flexibility were part of the calculation, and those are the kinds of moves that can look rough in the moment even when they make sense on the ledger.
So far, the Bears can at least live with how it has played out. Their defense has stayed strong and sits near the top of the league in several key categories, while Dexter has settled in quickly with Atlanta and earned a four-year extension there. For Chicago, the trade still carries the kind of risk that can linger all season, but the early returns have softened what might have been an easy decision for fans to regret. [Read more 🡒]