The Bears could be without their star third-year quarterback for the foreseeable future after Caleb Williams sustained a hamstring injury in Chicago’s 9–3 loss to the Vikings on Sunday. While running in the red zone, Williams got tripped up and went down in pain. He limped off the field with the help of trainers, and was carted off the field. The Bears later ruled him out with a hamstring injury.
It remains unclear how much time Williams could miss with this injury. Ben Johnson told reporters after the game of Williams’s injury, “He’s in good spirits, a team player. I’m happy it’s nothing with the knee. That was my first inclination. The hamstring could be pretty damaging as well. We’ll see how bad it is tomorrow.”
Bears QB Caleb Williams was helped off the field after going down with an apparent injury in the 4th quarter vs. the Vikings.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 20, 2026
(📺 FOX) pic.twitter.com/0RgMh8ZimH
As the Bears await knowledge on the severity of Williams’s injury, here’s a look at the remainder of their quarterback depth chart.
Bears QB depth chart
| String | Player |
|---|---|
| Second | Tyson Bagent |
| Third | Case Keenum |
Tyson Bagent’s history as a starter
Bagent is in his fourth NFL season out of Division II Shepherd. He has started four games in his career, all during his rookie season in 2023. In those games, Bagent went 2–2 as a starter while completing 65.7% of his passes for 859 yards, three touchdowns and six interceptions.
Since his rookie season—and the Bears drafting Williams with the No. 1 pick in 2024—Bagent has attempted just six passes, completing five of them for 58 yards. After coming in for Williams against the Vikings on Sunday, Bagent completed 5-of-9 passes for 54 yards. He made some nice passes, but was unable to lead the Bears into the end zone for a touchdown.
The Bears are fond of Bagent as their backup, extending him in 2025 on a two-year, $10 million extension. He has yet to play a full regular season game under Johnson, though the Bears coach noted after the game, “I’ve called plays for him all preseason, so we’ll be fine.”
Behind Bagent is third-stringer Case Keenum, who is in his 14th NFL season and second with the Bears. Keenum, who is most famously remembered for pulling off the Minneapolis Miracle with the Vikings in 2017, last started a game in 2023 for the Texans, but has not started more than two games in a season since 2019 with Washington.
The Bears’ outlook after Week 2
It certainly won’t be easy to compete in arguably the toughest division in football if Williams has to miss extended time. The Bears’ schedule ahead is also not easy. Their next six games are against the Eagles, Jets, Packers, Falcons, Patriots and Seahawks. The Eagles, Packers and Patriots have all shown flaws to start this season, but made the playoffs last year and will pose a challenge for the Bears. Even the Jets have proven to be a peskier foe through two games than in years past.
Chicago ideally will be able to lean on its running game if Williams misses time. While the Bears’ rushing attack was not at their best against Minnesota, it is one of the team’s greatest strengths and can help keep the Bears’ offense on schedule with Bagent at the helm.
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