Head coach Ben Johnson has gone out of his way to deflect every question about who will be the starting quarterback on Sunday for the Chicago Bears. Many believe the obvious decision is to stick with Case Keenum, who just got done crushing the Philadelphia Eagles 27-7. Why wouldn’t you ride the hot hand? Well, it seems Johnson didn’t get the memo. Multiple insiders have since reported that Tyson Bagent is expected to get the start on Sunday against the New York Jets. He’s been the one receiving starter reps in practice all week.
It is difficult for some to understand. Bagent has only 4 career starts, while Keenum has 67. Wouldn’t going with the experienced guy who literally just won last week make more sense? In some ways, yes. However, there are notable reasons the Bears might go with Bagent instead. Here are the ones that make the most sense.
#1: Tyson Bagent is the primary backup
One must not forget that the Bears coaching staff chose him as the #2 quarterback each of the past two offseasons. If they had any misgivings about his ability during that time, they would’ve flipped him with Keenum. Johnson has been adamant from the start that he believes Bagent has the talent and qualities of a starting quarterback. That didn’t just magically disappear just because Keenum played well against the Eagles. The third-string QB came in and did his job. It’s not enough to justify changing their opinion on Bagent.
#2: He offers a different dimension
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
One thing to note about the New York Jets defense is that it likes to play a lot of man coverage. This allows Glenn to be more aggressive with pressure packages. One preferred way to counter that is with a quarterback who can move. It is why Caleb Williams is so good at it. For all the things Keenum can do, running is not one of them. Tyson Bagent isn’t a pure scrambler, but he has more mobility than he gets credit for. He amassed 109 yards and 2 touchdowns in 5 games as a rookie in 2023. Having that capability would ease some of the pressure on the offensive line, while also opening up more play-fake possibilities.
#3: Keenum’s Monday night was a little misleading
Don’t get it twisted. He was brilliant for long stretches in that game. The victory had his fingerprints all over it. That said, it was anything but flawless. Keenum came dangerously close to throwing two ugly interceptions. One of them was in the red zone that would’ve probably seen the Eagles’ defensive back running it all the way for a touchdown. This is where you can’t let the stat line tell the entire story. There is a good chance the Jets don’t drop some of those passes on Sunday as Philadelphia did.
#4: Keenum also has a history of consistency problems
If he didn’t, he’d probably still be a starter somewhere. If you look back at his career, the longtime quarterback has been what you’d call streaky. He would put together a couple of games where he looked brilliant, then have two or three clunkers. There was never any predicting when they’d happen. Just look back at the last time he had back-to-back starts for Houston in 2023. He managed 229 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT in an overtime win over Tennessee. Then the next week, he managed just 11 completions, 62 yards, and 2 INTs against Cleveland. The lesson seems to be don’t press your luck with him.
