Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson announced on Saturday that backup quarterback Tyson Bagent returned to practice on Saturday, which opens the door for him to possibly start in place of the injured Caleb Williams (hamstring) on Monday when Chicago faces the Philadelphia Eagles. Bagent remains in concussion protocol and will need to go consecutive days without symptoms after practice to be fully cleared. However, his return to practice is a key advancement within the protocol.
"Still a lot of time between now and kickoff," Johnson said when speaking about determining who'll be available in Week 3. "We'll let this process play out. Tyson will be back at practice [Saturday], which will be good for him, and we'll take it from there."
Despite Bagent returning to practice, Johnson did not immediately say that he would start over fellow backup Case Keenum if he's fully cleared. When asked if there was something he needed to see from Bagent before making the call, Johnson answered simply, "I need to see something from everybody today. Big day today."
Johnson did note that Williams would not practice on Saturday, which effectively rules him out for this Week 3 contest with Philly.
Bagent is the Bears' top backup and was the first quarterback up following Williams' hamstring injury. In the 9-3 loss to Minnesota in Week 2, the former undrafted free agent out of Shepherd University completed 5 of 9 passes for 54 yards. Bagent suffered a concussion during that defeat against the Vikings, which clouded his availability for Week 3 and may have vaulted Keenum from third string to starter.
Of course, Keenum, who has 66 regular-season starts under his belt, could still be the Bears' option if Bagent isn't ready to go after just being cleared; the fact that Bagent was able to get onto the practice field on Saturday does leave the door ajar for him to start. Bagent started four games as a rookie in 2023, owning a 2-2 record. For his career, he's completed 65.8% of his passes with a 73.0 passer rating.
In 2025, Bagent signed a two-year, $10 million extension with Chicago.
