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The Chicago Bears have a new feel about them coming into 2025 with Ben Johnson at the helm as the new head coach, and fans in the Windy City got their first sneak peek at this season's Bears squad on Sunday in the preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins.
Unfortunately for Bears fans, they did not get to see second-year quarterback Caleb Williams in action, as the former No. 1 overall pick did not play on Sunday. However, Johnson took this opportunity to get a look at his three backup quarterbacks.
Third-year backup Tyson Bagent and veteran signal caller Case Keenum got a majority of the reps under center in the 24-24 tie, and Johnson had great things to say about how they played via Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic.
“Both of those guys operated at a high level,” Johnson said, per Fishbain. “We’ve been having some ups and downs over the course of camp, just operation, pre-snap penalties, all that. We weren’t 100%, but we were pretty smooth. There were things thrown at us over the course of the game — Cover 0 or they’re playing base vs. 11 (personnel) — things are changing pretty quickly there, and yet they were able to stay calm and composed and make sure we were organized and gave us a chance to have a good play.”
Bagent started and got most of the reps against the Dolphins, finishing 13-for-19 with 103 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Keenum then came in the game and operated at a very efficient clip, finishing 8-for-10 with 80 yards and two touchdowns.
Fourth-stringer Austin Reed finished the game and completed 5-of-10 passes for 41 yards.
Of course, neither Bagent nor Keenum is going to challenge Williams for the starting job, as the former Oklahoma and USC star looks to grow in year two and his first year in Johnson's system. Williams' rookie season was a disaster marred by playing under constant pressure and dealing with multiple play callers after offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was fired midseason. Despite that, Williams still showed plenty of traits to build on despite a lack of production.
The battle for the second-string spot between Bagent and Keenum will be something to watch over the rest of the postseason, as both are off to a good start so far in 2025. Johnson was pleased with both in the preseason opener and will surely have a close eye on how that competition progresses over the rest of the month.
