Questions around the Chicago Bears decision to put Tyson Bagent in the team's starting lineup over Case Keenum will unquestionably reach a fever pitch this week while fans begin to turn their attention to the return of Caleb Williams. While Keenum wasn't much better in relief of Bagent in Sunday's 31-7 loss the game was long gone and there was clear reason to wonder if the veteran had started from the top if the results might've played out a bit differently.
Bagent finished 12/21 for 87 passing yards and a pair of interceptions in what was a performance that tanked any hoped trade value. The quarterback previously had generated enough positive attention that there was reason to wonder if the Bears might opt to cash in and deal the backup away for a starting chance. Keenum looked the part of a capable starter against the Philadelphia Eagles leaving even more reason to consider exploring adding a future draft pick while giving Bagent a chance to start.
Sunday's results tanked this hope and left very little chance that Bagent is going to get a starting opportunity again this season. As long as Williams is able to return this next week as anticipated and stays healthy it seems that the backup's future is going to remain on the Chicago bench.
In some ways, this isn't the worst thing as the quarterback has an elite ceiling for a backup even with this past week's collapse in mind. Bagent's lack of reps were clear, but the development and larger sample size still suggests that the quarterback can remain a capable secondary option in short stretches.
Bears hopes of trading Tyson Bagent collapse after Sunday's ugly showing
Bagent appears destined to remain in this role for the time being unless a team is willing to overlook Sunday's showing. Regardless, there is no way around that this past week was a step in the wrong direction and a frustrating end to Bagent's time in the starting lineup. While there is clearly no real debate in putting Williams back in, it should be noted that a downside here is benching Bagent and having the backup ponder on how things ended.
There has to be a hope that Williams is able to push Chicago to a blowout win in the near future and offer Bagent relief reps. Needed reps to rebuild confidence and not end his 2026 season on the final memory of such frustrating failure.
No matter how this plays out, it does appear that the Bears will ride out the rest of the season with the quarterback in a reserve role. Any hopes of a trade appear unlikely to be realized as Sunday exposed the worst version of the Bears backup.
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