Bears may have just revealed their Week 4 quarterback plan without saying a word

Coach Ben Johnson has kept his lips sealed all week about whether Bagent or Keenum will get the call while Caleb Williams continues recovering from his hamstring injury. But if Bagent is indeed getting the first-team work, the Bears may already have made up their mind.

Tyson Bagent may be reclaiming his role as Bears' QB2

The possibility of Bagent starting shouldn't necessarily be viewed as an indictment against Keenum. Instead, the Bears are simply returning to the quarterback hierarchy they established before injuries scrambled everything.

Bagent entered the season as Williams' primary backup, with Keenum No. 3. Bagent replaced Williams after Iceman injured his hamstring against Minnesota in Week 2, but Bagent subsequently entered concussion protocol.

The concussion kept him out of most of the week of preparation for Philadelphia.

By the time Bagent was cleared Sunday, Keenum had already been prepped as Chicago's starter. Johnson stuck with the veteran Monday night, and the decision couldn't have worked much better.

Keenum completed 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns, added another touchdown on the ground, and finished with a 110.8 passer rating in Chicago's stunning 27-7 victory over Philadelphia. He wasn't sacked and didn't turn the football over.

Johnson praised Keenum afterward and again Wednesday, saying the veteran's performance would factor into the decision on the starter against New York.

Ben Johnson may have been keeping Jets guessing

Johnson has publicly maintained that the Bears would evaluate all three quarterbacks and start whoever gives them the best chance to win. It feels like this is nothing more than coaching chess, though.

Jets coach Aaron Glenn knows Johnson extremely well from their time together as coordinators in Detroit. Forcing Glenn and New York to prepare for both Bagent and Keenum creates at least some additional uncertainty ahead of Sunday's game.

But practice reps are harder to disguise than a press-conference answer. If Bagent has been operating with the first-team offense all week, it's hard to ignore what that suggests.

Starting Bagent would still be a fascinating decision

None of this diminishes what Keenum accomplished Monday night. If anything, that's what makes Johnson's impending decision so interesting.

Keenum just helped the Bears beat an undefeated Philadelphia team by 20 points. He looked composed, decisive, and completely comfortable operating Johnson's offense. Coaches often ride the hot hand in situations like this, but Johnson may be prepared to trust the depth chart he and Ryan Poles built before the season.

And there's a longer-term consideration.

Keenum is a 38-year-old veteran who gives Chicago tremendous insurance at the position. Bagent is still only 26 and signed a two-year contract extension with the Bears before the 2025 season. Chicago has spent years developing him behind Williams.

If Williams isn't ready to return, another Bagent start gives the Bears an opportunity to see what their established QB2 can do in Johnson's offense. It also levels up his trade value if he plays well.

Right now, the strongest signs point toward Tyson Bagent getting the football Sunday afternoon.