Case Keenum wasted no time making the retirement chatter look ridiculous in the Chicago Bears’ preseason opener against the Browns.
The 38-year-old quarterback turned in a sharp, efficient outing that showed exactly why the Bears still value him so highly. Keenum went 9 of 10 for 151 passing yards and threw a pair of touchdowns, and he even added a surprise scramble to create short yardage on a late down. Against a vanilla defense, he looked every bit like a seasoned quarterback who knew where he wanted to go with the ball and got there without wasting motion.
That kind of performance makes the talk from a year ago feel even stranger in hindsight. Ben Johnson had to talk Keenum out of retirement then, and now, at the start of the 2026 preseason, the veteran made it clear that neither retirement nor a surprise roster cut needs to be part of the conversation right now.
The respect for Keenum inside the building is already obvious. He has been around Johnson’s staff while Caleb Williams has broken out, and the expectation is that when the day does come for Keenum to walk away, the Bears will make sure he stays on the staff in some capacity. But based on this preseason debut, that day does not look close.
There was a real contrast between Keenum and some of the other quarterbacks trying to sort things out in preseason action. Miller Moss and Tyson Bagent both had stretches where consistent decision-making was hard to come by in the time they needed. Keenum, by comparison, looked composed and in control.
For Chicago, that matters. If the Bears ever need Keenum in a game, this showing offers real confidence that he can step in and give them a puncher’s chance over a short stretch. That’s the best-case backup scenario, and it’s one the team would obviously prefer never to test.
The bigger picture is simple: there’s nowhere for Keenum to go but down from here in preseason. This was the kind of performance that quiets every age-related question in a hurry and makes the coaching-staff talk feel like something for another day. If this was any indication, Keenum still has plenty left.
In Other News...
Tyson Bagent Just Made The Bears Quarterback Dilemma More Complicated
Tyson Bagents preseason opener did little to simplify the Bears quarterback picture, even as the organization continues to leave the door open to trading its backup if the right offer comes along. The second-year passer had a mixed night against the Browns, showing the same kind of uneven rhythm that has defined much of the early conversation around Chicagos depth chart and its long-term decisions behind the starter.
Bagent opened with a couple of three-and-outs and threw an interception before settling in later, and his late touchdown drive against backups offered just enough to keep the box score from looking bleak. Still, with no real buzz around a possible deal and other young quarterbacks around the league drawing more attention, he hasnt done much yet to create the kind of market that would force Chicago into a harder choice. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Williams Speculation Just Put His Bears Future Back In Focus
Caleb Williams is heading into his third season with the Bears after a 2025 breakthrough that changed the tone around the franchise. Chicago went 11-5 and finally got back into the postseason win column for the first time in more than a decade, and Williams growth under Ben Johnson was a major reason the team suddenly looked like a real contender instead of a long-term project.
Still, the chatter around Williams has not gone away, even with his future in Chicago firmly in place for now. He did not start the preseason opener against the Browns, and one former Jets scout recently floated the kind of off-the-wall speculation that always tends to follow a young quarterback who has started to look the part, even if the fit for the team mentioned would seem shaky at best. [Read more 🡒]
Bears May Have Found An Unexpected Pass Rush Fix Up Front
Rookie defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg has given the Bears a little something to watch during training camp and the preseason, and it is not hard to see why the front office and coaching staff would take notice. The sixth-round pick from Georgia Tech arrived with a strong Relative Athletic Score, and his interior burst has shown up early enough to suggest Chicago may have uncovered a useful piece up front as it tries to sharpen its pass rush.
Van den Bergs college production hinted there might be more here than a typical late-round flier, especially for a player whose disruption inside stood out compared with some higher-regarded defensive tackle prospects. The Bears are still sorting out how much he can add alongside the teams defensive ends, but any young lineman who can create pressure this quickly will keep earning a longer look. [Read more 🡒]