The Chicago Bears will help wrap up Week 3 in the NFL when they take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night. When they do, they are expected to start Case Keenum at quarterback, according to NFL Network. The veteran quarterback, who started the season as Chicago’s third-string signal caller, is slated to start after an array of injuries has hit the room, challenging the Bears’ depth.
Of course, the headliner among those injuries is Caleb Williams. Chicago’s franchise centerpiece suffered a hamstring injury in Week 2 that required him to be carted off the field against the Minnesota Vikings. Williams did not practice this week and was eventually ruled out. The former No. 1 overall pick is reportedly dealing with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, which may sideline him for three to four weeks.
As Williams’ injury brought Chicago’s QB depth into focus, Tyson Bagent was expected to be the starter if Williams were to miss time. Bagent, an undrafted free agent in 2023, was the first quarterback up in Week 2 when Williams initially went down, but he suffered a concussion during the matchup with Minnesota.
That placed Bagent in concussion protocol for the bulk of the week, but he did return on Saturday. After fully participating and initially being listed as questionable, Bagent cleared protocol on Sunday and had his game designation removed. Given that Bagent is Chicago’s QB2, there was a thought that this last-second push to being cleared would pave the way for him to start against Philly.
However, coach Ben Johnson seems to be opting not to rush things with the 26-year-old quarterback and is giving the keys to Keenum, who likely got the lion’s share of reps with the first-team offense this week.
Keenum is no stranger to starting in the NFL, having 66 regular-season starts under his belt as well as two playoff starts. The 38-year-old is 31-37 (including playoffs) over that stretch and has a 62.3 completion percentage and an 84.6 passer rating in his career. The last time Keenum started a game was back during the 2023 season when he was a member of the Houston Texans. In a Christmas Eve matchup against the Cleveland Browns, Keenum completed 11 of 17 passes for 62 yards and two interceptions before being benched for Davis Mills.
