Ben Johnson didn’t name a starting quarterback Wednesday — and might not until game day.
Call it gamesmanship as the Bears prepare to face the Jets on Sunday at Soldier Field.
What the Bears do know at the start of the week, though, is this: Case Keenum is coming off one of the best games of his career, Tyson Bagent is fully recovered from his concussion and Caleb Williams is hurt. Williams, who pulled his hamstring against the Vikings, was not scheduled to participate in the Bears’ walk-through Wednesday. The Bears’ walk-through was closed to the media Wednesday. They’ll return for a regular practice Thursday.
Keenum went 24-for-34 for 247 yards and two touchdowns in a “Monday Night Football” performance that made him, if for a moment, the biggest story in the NFL. He practiced all last week in preparation for the Eagles game, making Johnson feel comfortable from the get-go.
Bagent reported concussion symptoms Sept. 22, two days after he filled in for Caleb Williams after the starter pulled his hamstring. He didn’t return to practice until Saturday and served as the Bears’ second-stringer on Monday night.
Johnson has reiterated for the past two weeks that Bagent, who hasn’t started a game in three years, was the team’s second-stringer for a reason.