We wrote on Thursday afternoon that it sounded like Ryan Poles was going to add a veteran quarterback to the Chicago Bears' quarterback room, and one hour later, the team signed veteran Case Keenum to a one-year deal.
If nothing else, Keenum is the adult in the room for the Bears' quarterbacks. That's not to discredit Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, or Austin Reed but the room, as a whole, was inexperienced last season.
In fact, the argument could be made that the Bears should have added a veteran like Keenum last offseason. Sure, the Bears had veteran Brett Rypien with the team during training camp but Williams could have benefited from a veteran mentor during the season.
Updated Chicago Bears quarterback depth chart
First | Second | Third | Fourth |
|---|---|---|---|
Caleb Williams | Tyson Bagent | Case Keenum | Austin Reed |
The question now becomes, is there a competition for a backup quarterback? Tyson Bagent has done an admirable over the last two seasons as the Bears' backup quarterback but when we last saw him as the team's interim starting quarterback during the 2023 season, there were limitations that would leave the door open for Keenum to take the spot.
Not to be overlooked in this situation is that Bagent is in the final year of his rookie deal with the Bears. Bagent signed a three-year deal with the Bears as an undrafted free agent. With a new coaching staff in place, it will be curious to see if Bagent is as valued by the team as he was under Matt Eberflus. If not, given Keenum's arrival, it may not be out of the question that the Bears will look to trade Bagent before the start of the season.
Similarly, it will be interesting to see if Ben Johnson still values Austin Reed as the developmental quarterback on the Bears' Practice Squad. Reed became a fan favorite during the Bears' run on Hard Knocks last training camp, earning a spot on the team's practice squad. If not Reed, it wouldn't be a complete shock if the Bears took a developmental quarterback in the later rounds of the draft.