As Bears coach Ben Johnson prepares for a meeting with fellow former Lions coordinator Aaron Glenn, Johnson is doing his best to keep Glenn and the Jets in the dark about who will be the starting quarterback. It is one of the benefits of having injury problems 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 the plans for Week 4 under wraps. Through two full days of practice before the game against the Jets, he has largely succeeded. That said, it’s hard to keep the many people present at the practice from saying something to someone who’s trying to figure out who gets the job. From what we hear, Tyson Bagent (not Case Keenum) has received first-team reps so far this week. This obviously points to Bagent as the starter instead of Caleb Williams, who continues to recover from a hamstring injury. It makes sense. Bagent earned the backup job. He entered the Week 2 game against the Vikings in the fourth quarter and nearly pulled out a last-second victory. Keenum started Monday night because he was available to prepare for the game against the Eagles at a time when Bagent was in concussion protocol. By the time Bagent was freed, the hay was in the barn with Keenum. The question of whether a coach can keep the identity of his starting quarterback a secret is separate from whether the league should allow it. It creates another slice of inside information that could be mishandled by those who know the truth. Presumably, the Bears will make an announcement today. Or maybe they don’t. The rules do not require it. And if it’s Bagent, the Bears can say they necessarily made the announcement by not updating their depth chart. Bagent is No. 2, Keenum is No. 3. Both are healthy. Common sense points to Bagent. If you are actually doing all the practice reps, that only reinforces it.
