Windy City Gridiron
There’s zero drama in the Chicago Bears quarterback room this season, which is exactly what we want. Last year, head coach Ben Johnson showed us how he wants his QB room to shape up, and with all three players back, it’ll be business as usual.
Caleb Williams is on the cusp of something special. Most of our fans feel it. Fans of the Vikings, Lions, and especially the Packers feel it, which is why they spend so much time online talking about him. The NFL feels it, which is why he’s been one of their most marketed players. And his peers feel it, which is why he was voted number 51 of the Top 100 Players list.
He was so good in 2025, while still having so much more room to grow. And that’s not lost on him.
“There’s so much to unlock,” he said via the team site, “there’s so much to get better at, there’s so much left of ball for me and us and accolades that we’ll have as a team.”
He’s paired with a like-minded head coach in Ben Johnson, and their parallel drive for greatness is exactly what you want from the QB/head coach relationship.
His backup is Tyson Bagent, and I’m so glad the silliness around him has died down, because he’s a good football player. He hasn’t taken a meaningful rep since his rookie year, but the quality tape he put together during each preseason, plus the coaching he’s received from Ben and the Bears’ offensive staff, could land him an even bigger payday (he inked a 2-year, $10 million deal last year) when he’s a free agent in 2028.
Johnson bringing in Case Keenum to be a veteran presence in the room paid dividends.
In January, during the week the Bears were preparing to play the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round of the playoffs, Ben spoke about what Keenum meant to their 2026 season.
From Nicholas Moreano’s social media.
“He’s been an integral part of what we’ve done. He’s been tremendous in terms of Caleb’s growth. That was really the thought process of bringing him in, a guy with skins on the wall. He’s played in big games himself at a high level. He’s won big games. He’s lost big games. His experience has been something that all these young players can really lean into, particularly in weeks like this, where you come off an emotional win and yet you’ve got to turn your sights onto the next page pretty quickly.
The vision we had bringing him in, it’s been pretty incredible. I give Ryan (Poles) a lot of credit for that. As we’re talking about, in the springtime, how do we best help our young quarterback grow and develop? Case’s name came up pretty quickly in that process, and it’s just been a phenomenal fit. I know if he ever needed to play, I know he could still play at a high level...
