One player who hasn't seen the football field in the 2025 regular season but has played a huge role on the team is Case Keenum.
The third-string quarterback is in his 14th NFL season and first with the Bears. He has a wealth of knowledge from playing in a variety of offenses and from starting 66 games.
Keenum's experience has directly helped quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent. For head coach Ben Johnson, the 37-year-old quarterback has been an invaluable resource for the team.
“He's been an integral part of what we've done,” Johnson said. “He's been tremendous in terms of Caleb's growth. That was really the thought process of bringing him in, a guy with skins on the wall. He's played in big games himself at a high level. He's won big games. He's lost big games. His experience has been something that all these young players can really lean into, particularly in weeks like this, where you come off an emotional win and yet you’ve got to turn your sights onto the next page pretty quickly.
I think Case’s message this week has been very profound for not just the offense, but the entire team. The vision we had bringing him in, it's been pretty incredible. I give (General Manager) Ryan (Poles) a lot of credit for that. As we're talking about, in the springtime, how do we best help our young quarterback grow and develop, Case's name came up pretty quickly in that process and it's just been a phenomenal fit. I know if he ever needed to play, I know he could still play at a high level too. We see that every day at practice as well.”
Case Keenum has made a massive impact on Caleb Williams
Johnson's well-thought-out response really details how impactful Keenum has been for this Bears team. His contributions go well beyond what people find on a box score.
And one of the most important ways Keenum contributes to the team is by helping Williams throughout the course of games.
“I think he's (Keenum) got a great feel for – he's a pendulum in a lot of ways, which I think the coaching staff is as well, where when things get a little bit too high, you can swing it back and just keep everyone grounded,” Keenum said. “Same thing when things aren't quite going your way, you’re facing a little adversity, he knows the right things to say just to make sure we can pull ourselves out of that hole. I don't know if coaching is in his future or not, but I think he'd be a hell of a coach one day if he chooses to go that path.”
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Right now, coaching is likely not on Keenum's mind. Instead, the veteran will have his focus solely on preparing Williams for the NFC Divisional Round matchup with the Los Angeles Rams at Soldier Field.