The Bears Might Start Their Third-String QB Monday Night. Here's What It Means.

Quick answer: Tyson Bagent is in the NFL's concussion protocol, Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday. He was the likely starter Monday night against the Eagles, with Caleb Williams week to week after a right hamstring injury. If neither clears, 38-year-old Case Keenum would make his first start since 2023. That is a fallback, not a decision Chicago has made.

What happened

Williams left Sunday's 9–3 loss to the Vikings in the fourth quarter with a right hamstring injury and was carted off. He had completed 15 of 26 passes for 138 yards, with no touchdowns and an interception, before he went down. Mike Florio reported Sunday that the early medical read was a Grade 1 strain. Ben Johnson has not confirmed that grade.

Johnson's line on Monday was that the report was "somewhat encouraging," that he is not putting a timeline on it, and that Williams is week to week. He does not expect Williams to practice this week. He has not ruled him out for Monday against Philadelphia. Chicago's next game after that is the Jets on Oct. 4. That is the schedule. It is not a return date.

Bagent was already the next name. He came in during the fourth quarter and went 5-of-9 for 54 yards. Then Tuesday, Rapoport reported Bagent is in the concussion protocol. There is no public word yet on when or how he was hurt. Chicago's first Week 3 injury report is Thursday, because the game is on Monday. Being in the protocol on Tuesday does not settle whether he plays.

If both sit, Keenum is the quarterback on the active roster. The Tuesday morning depth chart still listed Williams at QB1, Bagent at QB2, and Keenum at QB3. That listing is from before the protocol news. A slot is not a start.

Why Keenum is the next name

This is the job he was re-signed to do. Adam Schefter reported Chicago brought him back on a two-year deal this offseason. He has 66 career starts. He has not played since two Houston starts in 2023, filling in for an injured C.J. Stroud: 34-of-53 for 291 yards and a touchdown. He is experienced. He is also 38, and those two games are the last ones on his record.

Pro Football Talk's Myles Simmons put him in line for Monday only if Williams and Bagent are both out. Nobody has said he will take every first-team rep this week, and nobody has named him the starter. Wait for Thursday's report.

Dynasty impact

Williams does not get repriced off a week-to-week hamstring. The live Dynasty Value Score this morning is 8,179, still second among quarterbacks. That is 18 points under last week's live print of 8,197. The preseason catalog number was higher. Use the live one. The multi-year case is the same one in the dynasty value breakdown: QB16 as a rookie, QB5 in 2025, on half-PPR. Hold. Wait for the practice reports before you treat Monday as a missed game.

Bagent is not the buy the counting-stat story sometimes makes him. His dynasty score is 0, 91st among quarterbacks. He finished QB76 in 2024 and QB65 in 2025. Those seasons were a handful of attempts, not a climb into the thirties. The only year with a real sample was 2023: five games, 94-of-143 for 859 yards and 3 touchdowns. A concussion does not turn that into a trend, and it does not erase it. If you need a Monday streamer, watch how fast he clears. If you are building a roster, he is still a backup with a zero score.

Keenum is not a dynasty add at 38, with a zero score and no snaps since 2023. The names that move for one night are the pass catchers. Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, and Colston Loveland lose target quality if Keenum is throwing Monday instead of Williams. That is a Week 3 lineup problem. It is not a reason to sell any of them.

If you're setting a lineup or pricing a deal around this, run the names through the Dynasty Trade Calculator. NextDyne is currently in early access — the first 500 leagues lock in $2.00 per rostered player for life, with Founding Franchise status.