Bears’ Ben Johnson doesn’t name a starting QB if Caleb Williams is out

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 11: Tyson Bagent #17 of the Chicago Bears runs with the ball during the second quarter of the NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on October 11, 2026 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson met with the media today, and as expected, the quarterback was the topic du jour after the loss in Green Bay. Starter Caleb Williams hasn't logged a full practice since injuring his hamstring, and backups Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum combined for four turnovers and four sacks in yesterday's loss.

Even though Caleb had a solid workout Sunday morning, Johnson still isn't sure his QB1 will be cleared for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons.

He's doing a great job progressing, and we'll see when we can make him available to help us win ball games," Johnson said about Williams via ESPN's Courtney Cronin. But he's itching to get back as soon as he can, which is a good thing, and when we get the green light, we'll move forward from there."

When he was asked who'll get the first team reps at quarterback on Wednesday if Williams is limited, Johnson said via WGN's Eli Ong, Yeah, we're still working through that. No determination has been made in terms of what direction we're going. There's a lot of things that we're assessing right now."

And when asked if Bagent would get those QB1 reps, he said, We have three guys that can win games in this league."