Rap: Tyson Bagent expected to start in Week 4

We assumed this was where things were heading after Bagent turned in a solid outing in his first start against the Jets. Bagent has been the QB2 on the Bears’ depth chart throughout the season and only missed Week 3’s start against the Eagles because he spent most of the week in the league’s concussion protocol. Bagent threw for 268 yards and one interception in Sunday’s win over the Jets and will have some appeal in 2QB/Superflex leagues, especially with the Chiefs and Panthers both on byes in Week 5.

Getting the start after Case Keenum led the Bears to victory in Week 3 against the Eagles, Bagent successfully managed the run-heavy Bears offense. He was inaccurate for stretches of the game, throwing at least two balls that should have been intercepted by the New York secondary. On the day he was 8 percent over his expected completion rate. Bagent targeted Rom Odunze a team-high nine times. He connected with Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III a handful of times on well-times throws to the middle of the field. Bagent will get another start in Week 5 against the Packers with Caleb Williams sidelined. He’ll have some superflex appeal in that matchup.

Bagent came in after Caleb Williams suffered a hamstring strain in Week 2, but missed Week 3 as he was in concussion protocol with Case Keenum getting the start. With Williams still out, Bagent will be back under center against the Jets. With Ben Johnson calling plays, Bagent is a super-flex option in Week 4.

Williams was never believed to have a real shot at playing, but the Bears officially ruled him out on Friday. Tyson Bagent has reportedly taken all of the first-team snaps in practice this week, but Ben Johnson may wait until kickoff to reveal who his starter will be on Sunday, with both Bagent and Case Keenum expected to be active. We’ll see if Williams’ status improves for Week 5’s game against the Packers.

While head coach Ben Johnson will do his best to keep his QB1 for Week 4’s game against the Jets under wraps, it’s hard to slip things past all the reporters who are present during the media portion of practice. With reports that Bagent, who is listed as the Bears’ QB2 on the depth chart, is taking first-team reps, it’s safe to assume things are trending toward him making the start this week. We may not get a clear answer from the team on who the starter will be until kickoff, which makes both Bagent and Case Keenum hard to trust for fantasy managers who may have been considering them in 2QB/Superflex leagues.

Bears coach Ben Johnson said Williams will not participate in today’s walkthrough, but noted that Williams is “getting better every single day.” He also said he has not decided which quarterback will start in Week 4 against the Jets. Week 3 starter QB Case Keenum was victorious over the Eagles on Monday Night Football and nominal No. 2 QB Tyson Bagent has cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol.

It’s worth noting that Brad Biggs quotes Johnson as saying “We’ll have a discussion as a coaching staff and we’ll see where we need to go from here ... But I said it last week, and I’ll say it again, there was a reason why Tyson [Bagent] ended training camp as our No. 2 quarterback” in the post-game scrum. It seems wild that a backup quarterback could play as well as Case Keenum did on Monday Night and not start in Week 4 on account of another backup quarterback, but it does feel like the winds are leaning there as things stand on Tuesday.

Head coach Ben Johnson was in his bag from the opening series, trusting Keenum to take to the air on the team’s first two plays from scrimmage. That set the tone for the remainder of the game as the Bears dominated time of possession, running 69 offensive plays to the 47 of the Eagles. Keenum was not perfect by any stretch, with no fewer than three attempts that placed the ball in immediate danger. He would escape with a clean sheet in the turnover department while exceeding expectations within the structure of Johnson’s offense, routinely delivering the football on time and where it needed to go. His counting stats were padded slightly by a 41-yard touchdown to Kalif Raymond against busted coverage in the third quarter and a fourth quarter rushing plunge from one yard out, but he did enough to guide the Bears to a 2-1 record ahead of a Week 4 meeting with the Jets. It remains unclear if Keenum will draw another start under center now that Tyson Bagent will have a full week of preparation. Neither would be an exciting fantasy option against Aaron Glenn’s New York defense.

He said this on FOX’s pre-game show. Per Glazer, they couldn’t make Bagent the starter because he wasn’t involved in enough of the game planning, but with Caleb Williams now due to miss 3-4 weeks, Bagent could easily start Week 4’s game against the Jets. It’s also possible Bagent makes a relief appearance in Week 3 if Keenum looks rough. Bagent likely should be added in any superflex leagues where his concussion left him on the waiver wire.

Schefter noted that Williams could return sooner, and the timeline is simply an estimate from the doctors. Still, it would be risky for the team to rush him back, even if he is pushing to play. Williams has already been ruled out for Week 3 and Tyson Bagent is questionable because of a concussion. If he isn’t ready when the Bears take on the Eagles on Monday, Case Keenum will draw the start.