A Tuesday afternoon update indicated that the Chicago Bears were prepared to start backup quarterback Tyson Bagent in place of injured QB1 Caleb Williams for Chicago’s Week 3 “Monday Night Football” game against the 2-0 Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 28.
It now appears that neither Williams nor Bagent will be available for that matchup.
Why neither Tyson Bagent nor Caleb Williams may play for Bears vs. Eagles
Later on Tuesday, league insider Ian Rapoport of NFL Network/ESPN revealed that Bagent “is dealing with a concussion and is in the NFL’s concussion protocol.” Veteran Case Keenum is Chicago’s third-choice option and presumably is now on track to start for the Bears against the Eagles.
Williams suffered a right hamstring injury in the fourth quarter of what became a 9-3 Chicago loss to the rival Minnesota Vikings this past Sunday. During a Tuesday afternoon appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Rapoport said that it “certainly seems like” Williams is “unlikely” to be available for at least the Eagles game.
Bagent filled in for the Bears against the Vikings and went 5-of-9 passing for 54 yards. He may have suffered his head injury when he took a fourth-down sack on the final play of Chicago’s Week 2 game.
One piece of good news for the Bears regarding Bagent is that he has an extra day to possibly clear the concussion protocol for the Eagles game. However, history shows that a quarterback often misses at least one contest once he enters the protocol either during or after a game.
When is the last time Case Keenum attempted a regular-season pass?
During the 2023 season, the previously mentioned Keenum won one of two starts while with the Houston Texans. That said, the 38-year-old has not attempted a pass during a regular-season game since December of that year.
Shortly after Rapoport shared his latest Bears-related update on Tuesday, DraftKings Sportsbook had Chicago as a 3.5-point underdog against Philadelphia. Assuming both Williams and Bagent are unavailable to play against the Eagles, the Bears will hope to get at least one of them back for their Week 4 home game against the New York Jets on Oct. 4.
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