Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson kept people guessing last week as to who would start on Sunday against the New York Jets. Case Keenum or Tyson Bagent? Ultimately, he went with Bagent, who had a solid performance in a 23-12 victory. Going into this week, Johnson made the curious decision not to leave anything open to speculation. He said from the outset that Bagent would be the starter again on Sunday in Green Bay—no possibility of going back to Keenum or a potential return of Caleb Williams.
“Tyson will be the guy. We’ll go from there. We’re in good shape.”
Nothing to see here, right? That’s the thing, though. Johnson has made a career out of making opponents think one thing before throwing something else at them. He isn’t above playing mind games. Would he go so far as to declare Bagent the starter all week, only to pivot to Williams on gameday against the Packers? That possibility became apparent when the Bears’ starter returned to practice on Friday.
Making things even more interesting was Williams’ activities on Twitter (X), liking a post that seemed to suggest a return isn’t completely off the table.
Ben Johnson is crazy, but not that crazy.
Yes, Williams practiced. Yes, he’s officially questionable. He technically could play. The question is whether the Bears would prefer him at around 70% healthy or Bagent at 100%. Under normal circumstances, it is probably the former. However, the nature of Williams’ injury is a big factor. Hamstrings are notoriously tricky issues. They can easily be aggravated again if you return to them too quickly. It is particularly problematic for a quarterback known for his scrambling tendencies.
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The only way Ben Johnson might sign off on this is if he gets assurances from Williams that he’d keep the running as minimal as possible. That isn’t a smart way to do things. You can’t ask a player not to do something that comes naturally to him. Fighting his instincts to run will inevitably lead to bouts of holding the ball too long and inviting pressure. We saw in 2024 what happened when Williams tried forcing himself to stay in the pocket. He tends to take lots of sacks.
This feels more like gamesmanship.
The truth is, Bagent will likely start. It makes sense. He won last week, knows the offense well, and can play an efficient style of game. As great as it would be to have Williams in the lineup, the Bears are in a position where they don’t need him back. They’re 3-1, having won back-to-back games with backups under center. One more week won’t derail the season. Better to ensure Williams is fully recovered. They’ll need him 100% once the schedule starts getting tougher in November and December.
Still, if Johnson does pull a hoodwink, it would easily be one of the greatest swerves in the rivalry’s history. Force Green Bay to prepare all week to play Bagent, only to throw Williams at them instead. If nothing else, it is a reminder that the Bears head coach will use any tactic possible to keep the Packers off balance. We’ll see how it plays out on the field Sunday afternoon.
