Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson was noncommittal Monday on which quarterback will start against the Atlanta Falcons this weekend. The Bears are still deciding between their backup quarterbacks should Caleb Williams not be ready to return from a hamstring injury. "We're still working through that," Johnson said. "No determination has been made in terms of what direction we're going. There are a lot of things that we're assessing right now."
The uncertainty follows a 31-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers, where Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum accounted for four of Chicago's five turnovers. Bagent was benched after throwing his second interception and finished with 87 passing yards and a 27.4 passer rating. Keenum replaced him in the fourth quarter but struggled as well, going 11-of-19 for 108 yards and an interception. Johnson had said a week earlier that Bagent had "earned the right" to be the No. 2 quarterback, a tone he has since moderated. Asked whether Bagent could start again, Johnson said, "We have three guys that can win games in this league."
Williams has missed three straight games while recovering from a Grade 2 hamstring strain. He returned to limited practice last Friday and went through an extensive on-field workout in Green Bay on Sunday morning before being ruled inactive. Johnson said Williams is "close" to returning, possibly as soon as the Bears' next game in Atlanta. At the time of his injury in Week 2, Williams had the third-best Total QBR (85.1) and led all quarterbacks in rushing yards (107). Bagent and Keenum have a combined Total QBR of 56.8.
Johnson also said he had not yet considered how Chicago's tight turnaround, with the Patriots coming to town four days after the Atlanta game, might affect Williams' timeline. "[Williams is] doing a great job progressing, and we'll see when we can make him available to help us win ball games," Johnson said. "But he's itching to get back as soon as he can, which is a good thing, and when we get the green light, we'll move forward from there."
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing