Tyson Bagent was the rightful QB2 behind Caleb Williams. But when injury struck both quarterbacks in Week 2, veteran Case Keenum took over and delivered a sensational three-touchdown masterpiece against Philly. Still, Bears head coach Ben Johnson trusted the depth chart and gave Bagent another shot. After a shaky win over the NY Jets in Week 4, Bagent completely imploded against the Packers yesterday, throwing two costly interceptions in a brutal 31-7 loss. That was the final straw. Speaking to the media, Johnson didn’t stutter when revealing the exact moment he decided to bench his backup.

“It was after the Second Interception,” said Johnson when asked when it was time to bench Bagent.

Bagent completed 12-of-21 passes for 87 yards, no touchdowns, and his two picks made the Bears faithful furious, while the Packers sacked him a couple of times as well. Bagent’s first pass, a short throw intended for Cole Kmet, fell incomplete. He threw his first interception in the first quarter with over five minutes remaining. On second-and-10, Bagent attempted a deep throw toward Luther Burden III. The pass was intercepted by Xavier McKinney at Chicago’s 45-yard line.

Chicago had just conceded a touchdown to Green Bay’s Christian Watson, who caught a 42-yard scoring pass from Jordan Love. Then, Bagent’s second interception came in the third quarter, when Bagent threw a pass over the middle intended for second-year tight end Colston Loveland. This time again, McKinney intercepted it at Green Bay’s 42-yard line and returned it three yards to the Packers’ 45. By the third quarter, the Bears had managed only seven points. Ultimately, Johnson benched his quarterback.

“We felt like we just wanted a little spark there,” Johnson said of the decision. “Tyson just could never feel like he got in a rhythm here today, and so we’ll look at why that was the case. The second interception happened, and we just felt like let’s give Case a chance out there and see if we get different results.”

Case Keenum came in and completed 11-of-19 for 108 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. While his stat line couldn’t rescue the Bears, Keenum’s projection was still better than Bagent. That said, why wasn’t Keenum given more time against the Packers?

The answer lies in the front office’s checkbook. The Bears previously signed Tyson Bagent to a two-year, $10 million extension, worth up to $16 million with incentives, solidifying him as Caleb Williams’ premier backup. Sitting a QB2 with a $4.75 million cap hit in 2026 for a veteran third-stringer directly undermines that major financial commitment.

While the HC made his decision, calls to bench him for Case amongst the fan base had already begun.

What are the fans saying?

“Once again, I think Ben Johnson is a dummy for starting Tyson Bagent over Case Keenum…I caught a lot of flack from Bears fans for this take last week, but I still believe I’m right. Should’ve stuck with the hot hand.” Outkick’s Jon Root posted.

Prior to the Bears’ training camp this season, the front office had a lot of trade offers for Tyson Bagent. General manager Ryan Poles had confirmed the growing interest in the backup QB, saying,

“We anticipated someone like Tyson’s going to get some interest. We’ve gotten a few calls there. Obviously, the tough thing is what Ben thinks about Tyson, what I think about Tyson, what our locker room thinks about Tyson, that’s a really tough decision for us.”

At that time, HC Johnson wasn’t ready to part ways with the QB, putting his belief in Tyson.

“No, I love Tyson,” he said when asked if another team wanted to acquire Tyson Bagent at the NFL Combine in February.

“And that’s one that kind of pulls at your heartstrings a little bit because he’s someone that you care about so deeply, and he’s a hell of a football player that at some point you want to see him have a chance to do it himself. And so we’ll always do what’s best for our team and our organization.”

Only Caleb Williams can save the Bears!

It’s needless to say that the HC’s confidence in his backup QB is beginning to fade. That said, the Bears currently sit at 3-2 amid starting quarterback Caleb Williams’ absence. Bagent took over in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings, but failed to start against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3 due to a concussion.

Evidently, the Bears started with Keenum against Philly, who completed 24-of-34 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns, leading Chicago to a 27-7 win. Despite a strong performance from Keenum, however, Johnson opted to start with Bagent against the Jets in Week 4. After the Green Bay disaster, it’s clear that Chicago’s true salvation rests on one man: Caleb Williams.

The good news for Bears Nation? The franchise QB might be back sooner than expected. The hope is that neither backup will be needed once Williams makes his return. Johnson didn’t close the door on that scenario following Sunday’s defeat.

“He’s on track,” Johnson said. “We’ll see if that’s Atlanta or after. I think it’s going to be close.”

Williams showed encouraging progress last week, turning in a limited practice on Friday and putting in extra rehab work on the field before kickoff against Green Bay. Johnson isn’t just offering lip service; Williams genuinely appears to be on the brink of a return.