Week 2 was a tough one for the Bears. Not only did Chicago lose 9-3 to the Vikings at Soldier Field in a sloppy effort, but Caleb Williams left the game and didn’t return after a non-contact hamstring injury.
With Tyson Bagent now set to lead the Bears indefinitely, the new starting quarterback and Coach Ben Johnson discussed what’s next.
Neither fed into the doom and gloom of losing a quarterback of Williams’ caliber.
Both tried to inspire hope with simple messages on Week 3.
“I called plays for him all preseason, so we’ll be fine,” Johnson said postgame.
“I feel great,” Bagent said. “I feel like I have a good team around me, good coaching staff, so I’m ready to roll.”
Bagent has plenty of film to reference when wondering if Chicago could survive without Williams for however long he’s out.
Tyson Bagent Played Well For Bears During the 2026 Preseason
For fans wondering what Bagent has done for them lately — since the former Division II star hasn’t played meaningful regular season snaps since before Johnson arrived, when he got fill-in work during the 2023 season — look no further than the 2026 preseason for proof he fits well in the offense.
Bagent played in the preseason opener and finale. He completed 29-of-39 pass attempts, three of them touchdown passes, and amassed 377 yards against the Browns and Titans. Of note, Chicago won both games. Against Tennessee, he completed 16-of-17 pass attempts in a surgical outing.
Sure, it was the preseason. It wasn’t a perfect exhibition slate, either. Bagent had a pair of three-and-outs to start the game against Cleveland.
There was enough from the 34-10 win over the Titans in late August to trust Bagent in keeping the offense on schedule. Of course, this won’t be the same explosive outfit, with a much slower quarterback with nowhere near the arm strength as Williams.
Johnson will have to pivot to a more scripted offense that’s heavy on three-step drops and short routes. He’ll have to figure out a way to keep the running game as dynamic without a major threat at the quarterback position.
In Week 3, Johnson will face an ace defensive play-caller in Vic Fangio who will know to load the box and slow down the Bears’ running threats and force Bagent to air it out.
It may take time to right this ship. It must be righted, though, after how high hopes were before Williams’ injury.
Now is Johnson’s time to truly prove his merits as a head coach and play-caller.
Ben Johnson’s Biggest Coaching Test Comes Now
Johnson coached Jared Goff with the Lions as Dan Campbell’s offensive coordinator and came to Chicago with a year-two Williams ready for him.
Bagent will be just the third full-time starter Johnson will have behind center.
This will be Johnson’s biggest test of his coaching career. Bar none.
Getting through to the other side of whenever Williams is back with the undrafted Bagent running the show would have few questioning if he just lucked into two former No. 1 overall picks and built a career off of it.
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