Signs from practice point to Tyson Bagent starting at quarterback for the Chicago Bears on Sunday against the New York Jets, with Caleb Williams still working back from a right hamstring injury.
Coach Ben Johnson has spent the week limiting what the Jets can learn about the starter. Through two full practice days ahead of the game, Bagent, not Case Keenum, has taken the first-team repetitions, according to reporting by Pro Football Talk.
That work lines up with the depth chart. Bagent is listed as the No. 2 quarterback and Keenum as the No. 3. Both are healthy. League rules do not require a team to name its starter in advance, and the Bears had not made a formal announcement as of Friday morning.
Williams left the Bears’ 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 20 with a Grade 2 hamstring strain. He was ruled out of Monday night’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles and has not practiced since the injury. The team has described him as week to week and has not placed him on injured reserve, a move that would force him to miss at least four games.
A Grade 2 hamstring strain can sideline a player for several weeks, and some reporting has put a possible absence near a month. The Bears have held out hope that Williams can return faster than a typical recovery.
Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in 2024, had not missed a start before the injury. He had opened every regular-season and playoff game for Chicago before sitting out against Philadelphia.
Bagent took over late in the Vikings game and finished five of nine for 54 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. He was sacked once. The relief appearance nearly produced a last-second win before he entered the concussion protocol.
That protocol cost him the early practices of Week 3. Keenum, who was available all week, took the first-team work and started Monday night. Bagent cleared the protocol before the game but remained the backup because the preparation window had already closed.
Bagent had been the primary backup entering the season. He signed a two-year, $10 million contract with Chicago in August 2025. In 2023, his only year as a starter, he went 2-2 in four starts, completing 94 of 143 passes (65.7%) for 859 yards, three touchdowns and six interceptions.
His career totals through the Vikings game stand at 104 completions on 158 attempts (65.8%) for 971 yards, three touchdowns and six interceptions in 13 games. He has also rushed for 109 yards and two scores.
Keenum, 38, has 66 career starts. His last regular season starts before Monday came in 2023 with the Houston Texans. He was the only fully healthy quarterback on the active roster early in the Eagles week.
Sunday’s game is a reunion of sorts for the coaches. Johnson and Jets coach Aaron Glenn both previously worked as coordinators with the Detroit Lions. Johnson has used the uncertain quarterback picture to keep Glenn’s staff from locking in a plan.
Practice attendance makes a complete secret difficult. People who watch the sessions can pass along who is working with the starters, which is how the first-team reps for Bagent became known outside the building.
The uncertainty also creates inside information that can be mishandled by anyone who knows the plan before it is public. That is a separate issue from whether a coach is allowed to withhold the name. The rules allow it.
If Bagent starts, it would be his first appearance as the opening quarterback since November 2023. Chicago’s next games after the Jets are at Green Bay on Oct. 11 and at Atlanta on Oct. 18, a stretch the team may have to navigate without Williams if the hamstring recovery runs longer than expected.
