The Chicago Bears began the season looking comparatively stable at quarterback. That picture changed in a matter of days.
Caleb Williams left the Week 2 loss to Minnesota with a hamstring strain that could keep him out for at least one game and possibly longer.
Backup Tyson Bagent then entered the concussion protocol, leaving 38-year-old Case Keenum as the likely starter against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football and undrafted rookie Miller Moss as the only remaining option behind him.
What can the Bears do to solve the sudden problem under center?
Well, Max Dible of Heavy.com feels that Chicago can address the sudden shortage by signing former Detroit Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker off the Tennessee Titans practice squad.
Hooker spent two seasons in Detroit after the Lions selected him in the third round of the 2023 draft, a period that overlapped with Ben Johnson’s tenure as offensive coordinator.
He appeared in three games in 2024, completing six of nine passes for 62 yards, before brief stops with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers.
Tennessee signed him in April and placed him on the practice squad.
League rules would force the Bears to place Hooker on the 53-man roster immediately rather than park him on their own practice squad.
They would also owe him three weeks of guaranteed pay regardless of how long he stays or how he is used.
The Titans could theoretically block the move by promoting Hooker themselves, but that step appears unlikely. Tennessee is 0-2, Cam Ward is the starter, and Mitchell Trubisky already occupies the backup role.
The attraction for Chicago is familiarity more than raw production. Hooker has already run a version of Johnson’s scheme, which could shorten the learning curve if he is needed in a pinch.
Keenum remains the expected starter if Williams and Bagent remain unavailable. Hooker would simply give the staff another veteran body in a room that suddenly looks thin.
Whether the Bears actually make the call this week will depend on how Williams’s hamstring and Bagent’s concussion evaluation progress over the next few days, but the option exists and requires no draft capital to pursue.
