<p>The <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears" target="_blank" >Bears</a> plan to trust backup quarterback Tyson Bagent to keep their season on track Sunday against the Jets. With starting quarterback Caleb Williams out with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, Bagent took reps as their starter leading up to the game as coach Ben Johnson opted for him over veteran Case Keenum, a source said.</p><p>Keenum was fantastic against the Eagles on Monday, but got that start only because Bagent had spent most of the week in the concussion protocol. Johnson has been saying Bagent won the No. 2 spot “for a reason,” and the Bears have been dying to see what he can do with an opportunity like this.</p><p>Their first flicker of belief in Bagent was when he was a senior at Division II Shepherd University and personnel executive Jeff King and scout Tom Bradway came back raving that they’d found hidden gem who checked every box.</p><p>It was a small program, but Bagent had the arm, the mind and the personality to become an NFL quarterback. There was something about him.</p><p>Then he beat out veteran P.J. Walker for a spot as an undrafted rookie.</p><p>Then he played decently in a stint replacing Justin Fields.</p><p>Then he convinced Johnson and got a two-year, $10 million contract extension mostly from what he showed on the practice field and in meeting rooms.</p><p>Bagent was a high school football and basketball star who adored the West Virginia Mountaineers, but couldn’t get a sniff from his favorite school. His father, Travis, is a professional arm wrestler. And when he got that contract last year, he broke down crying as he thought about his dad growing up without running water and how many people back home he could help with his newfound money.</p><p>He's an easy guy to root for.</p><p>Johnson said his staff was split on choosing a starter against the Jets, and Keenum’s merits were undeniable after completing 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards and two touchdown passes for a 110.8 passer rating in the 27-7 win over the Eagles. The offense worked like a machine as he got the ball out quickly to open receivers, and it was a spectacular moment for him and the team.</p><p>He also had some narrowly avoided some disasters, however, including a pair of passes that were within inches of potential pick-sixes.</p><p>Big picture, Keenum, is in the final phase of his career at 38 and hasn’t put together consecutive performances of that caliber since 2019. Bagent, meanwhile, is 26 and still climbing.</p><p>“I don’t know that there’s necessarily a right answer or a wrong answer,” Johnson said Friday. “Both of them are well prepared to play and win a game for us, so I’m excited about that.”</p><p>Bagent has barely played since the Bears drafted Williams, who hadn’t missed significant time before getting hurt Sept. 20 against the Vikings, and he has played just 13 games over four seasons. That includes Johnson using him on a play against the Bengals last season in which Bagent lined up at wide receiver, caught a lateral pass from Williams, then threw a screen pass back to Williams for a 20-yard gain.</p><p>In total, Bagent has completed 65.8% of passes for 971 yards and three touchdowns with six interceptions (all as a rookie) for a 73.0 passer rating, but his chances have been sporadic and brief.</p><p>The Jets game would be by far the most advantageous situation he’s ever had. He knows the system front to back and would be stepping into an offense just a few weeks removed from scoring 59 points.</p><p>He also could hold the job a while. While Williams is ambitious about his return, the reality is an injury that severe usually keeps a player out at least a month.</p><p>The Bears have had two main goals in their development of Bagent: an insurance policy and an asset.</p><p>Going back to his rookie season, general manager Ryan Poles believed Bagent was good enough to keep the Bears afloat if needed, and even then he went 2-2 as their starter. In the recent offseason, the team rebuffed trade interest to keep him as a contingency for a scenario just like this.</p><p>The Bears went into this season shooting for the Super Bowl and wanted a backup quarterback who could keep them on that track if needed.</p><p>But there’s also precedent for a backup like Bagent netting a second-round draft pick if another team buys that he’s starter material. The Bears and Bagent have intertwined interests in him playing well enough to get a job elsewhere, as Poles could turn an undrafted player into a valuable pick and Bagent could earn a massive payday.</p><p>He’s been a Bears favorite of the Bears and their fanbase without playing much, simply for his grit and likability. He backed Fields and Williams at every turn and couldn’t say enough about how much he enjoyed watching Keenum shine. He signed that extension because he believed he could learn more as a backup for Johnson than being a starter on another team. And this could be the moment his and the Bears’ patience pays off.</p>
IUSTITIA.BG – Investigations 2009-2026 2026-10-03 18:15:41
Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
