Chicago Bears reportedly add veteran QB as Caleb Williams' back up
1st & North: New NFL rules, new Bears philosophy
This week on 1st & North, it may be the offseason, but football has some new rules and the Bears have a new philosophy, and Lou Canellis has a new adversary in Detroit.
The Chicago Bears are signing a veteran quarterback to back up Caleb Williams.
Case Keenum is signing a one-year deal worth up to $3 million with the Chicago Bears, the team announced on Friday.
ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported the news Thursday.
The Bears will be the eighth NFL Keenum has played for in his 11-year NFL career. He was on the roster for the Houston Texans last year but didn't have any statistics.
Case Keenum joins the Chicago Bears
The Bears will have an experienced quarterback join their room.
Keenum has played for the Houston Texans three times, the St. Louis Rams, the Los Angeles Rams, the Buffalo Bills, the Minnesota Vikings, the Cleveland Browns, the Washington Redskins (before they became the Commanders) and the Denver Broncos, not necessarily in that order.
He's thrown for 15,175 yards and 79 touchdowns in his career with an 84.6 passer rating.
In Chicago, Keenum could be in a mentorship role for Williams like he was for CJ Stroud in Houston.
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What does this mean for the Bears' QB room
The Bears usually went with a two-quarterback room under Matt Eberflus. That no longer seems to be the case under Ben Johnson.
With Keenum in the fold, the Bears will add a veteran quarterback voice to the quarterback room. Last year, the Bears released veteran Brett Rypien, who went to sign with Minnesota.
Keenum's presence also puts a little more competition in the room for third-year quarterback Tyson Bagent. Bagent, who is 2-2 in NFL games he has started, ws the Bears' second-string quarterback in 2024.
Bagent held off Rypien and undrafted rookie Austin Reed for the second-string spot. Keenum is a step-up in competition for Bagent this offseason, who will have to show he can fit into Johnson's offensive scheme.
However, Keenum will provide a veteran presence for Williams, who had former NFL veteran quarterbacks in Ryan Griffin and Kerry Joseph to learn from last year on the Bears.