Ben Johnson isn’t tipping his hand at quarterback, and that much is clear heading into the Bears’ Week 4 matchup with the Jets.
While Jets coach Aaron Glenn has already laid out much of his availability picture - ruling out multiple players Friday and saying he’s “encouraged” that everyone who was limited will play - Johnson is taking the opposite route. According to the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs, Johnson told reporters, “We’ll find out Sunday,” when asked who would start under center.
One certainty remains: Caleb Williams will not be out there. The Bears quarterback is still working through the hamstring injury he picked up in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings. That leaves Chicago choosing between Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum.
Johnson even floated the idea of practice squad quarterback Miller Moss making his first career start, though that sounded very much like a joke. It did, however, show he’s not giving away anything real before kickoff.
Biggs, who has covered the Bears for The Chicago Tribune since 2001, called Bagent the “best bet” to start. The 26-year-old would have likely gotten the nod against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, but a concussion kept him out of practice all week and sidelined him for the game.
Bagent’s NFL résumé is still short, but he has four career starts, all from the 2023 season when he filled in for the injured Justin Fields. In his time as Chicago’s backup, he has completed 65.8% of his passes for 971 yards, with three touchdowns and six interceptions.
The Bears have clearly invested in him, too. They signed the Division II product to a two-year, $10 million contract just before the start of the 2025 season.
Keenum is the other path, and he made a strong case in his Week 3 spot start. The 38-year-old veteran was sharp against Philadelphia, finishing with 247 yards and three total touchdowns while completing 70% of his passes. Chicago, at least from the outside, looks comfortable either way.
In Other News...
Jets Loss Raised A Bigger Concern Than Just One Bad Sunday
The Jets left Week 4 with a 1-3 record, but the loss to the Bears felt like more than just another bad Sunday. Chicago kept the pressure on with a long, sustained offensive rhythm, running 89 plays and finding success both on the ground and through the air, which put New Yorks defense in chase mode for much of the afternoon. For a team trying to establish some early-season footing, that kind of imbalance is a warning sign as much as it is a loss.
Geno Smiths uneven day added to the unease, as he completed 8 of 15 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown while the offense never really found a steady pulse. Garrett Wilson and other key pieces were not featured enough, which only sharpened the sense that this was not just about one quarterback or one game plan. The bigger concern is whether the Jets are already drifting into a pattern where both sides of the ball are too inconsistent to support a turnaround. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Backfield Question Just Got More Uncomfortable For Aaron Glenn
Isaiah Davis has become one of the quieter mysteries in the Jets backfield, and the timing has only made it more noticeable. Even with Breece Hall sidelined for a recent game because of injury, Davis did not get an offensive snap, while Braelon Allen handled all 14 carries in the loss to the Chicago Bears. For a third-year running back on a team still sorting out its rushing workload, that kind of usage raises obvious questions about how the Jets are viewing the depth chart.
Aaron Glenn has not publicly explained Daviss absence from the offense, and Davis himself has not addressed the lack of touches. In a backfield already under scrutiny, the silence only adds to the unease around how the Jets are managing their running backs and whether they have enough trust in the options behind Hall. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Fans Have A New Reason To Revisit That Chippy Lions Loss
The Jets already had plenty to stew over from that chippy loss to Detroit, and the leagues latest accountability report added another layer to it. On Wednesday, the NFL fined Lions receiver Jameson Williams $23,417 for unnecessary roughness after helmet-to-helmet contact in the game against New York, a reminder of how heated that matchup got and how often the Lions were walking a line.
Williams has now been fined multiple times this season, including earlier penalties for taunting and illegal celebrations, and he was not the only Detroit player on the report. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell and Jahmyr Gibbs also drew fines for celebrations and vulgar acts, giving Jets fans a fresh reason to revisit a game that already carried more edge than the final score suggested. [Read more 🡒]