As Bears coach Ben Johnson prepares for a reunion with fellow former Lions coordinator Aaron Glenn, Johnson does his best to keep Glenn and the Jets in the dark about the identity of the starting quarterback.
That’s one of the benefits of having injury issues that complicate the most important position in professional football. Uncertainty can be used as a weapon, hoping to prevent the next opponent from knowing who they will face.
Johnson is doing his best to keep Week 4 plans under wraps. Thanks to two full days of practice before the game against the Jets, he was largely successful.
That said, it’s hard to stop the many people there for practice from saying something to someone trying to figure out who gets the job. As we hear, Tyson Bagent (not Case Keenum) has gotten first-team reps so far this week.
This obviously points to Bagent as the starter in place of Caleb Williams, who continues to recover from a hamstring injury.
That makes sense. Bagent got the backup role. He entered the Week 2 game against the Vikings in the fourth quarter and nearly pulled out a last-second victory.
Keenum got the start Monday night because he was available to prepare for the game against the Eagles at a time when Bagent was in the concussion protocol. By the time Bagent was cleared, the hay was in the barn with Keenum.
The question of whether a coach can keep the identity of his starting quarterback secret is separate from whether the league should allow it. This creates another layer of inside information that could be misused by those who know the truth.
Presumably the Bears will make an announcement today. Or maybe they won’t. The rules don’t require it.
And if it’s Bagent, the Bears can say they must have made the announcement by not updating their depth chart. Bagent is #2, Keenum is #3. Both are in good health. Common sense points to Bagent.
If he actually gets all the practice reps, it only makes him stronger.
Gn sports
