Caleb Williams ruled out against Jets; Bears have not named replacement

Friday update, October 2, 2026: The Bears ruled Caleb Williams out of Sunday’s home game against the Jets after he missed practice again with a hamstring injury. Chicago has not announced whether Tyson Bagent or Case Keenum will start.

Coach Ben Johnson declined to name Williams’ replacement on Friday. Keenum is coming off a 27-7 win over Philadelphia, while Bagent cleared concussion protocol before that Monday game.

Where the three quarterbacks stand

• Caleb Williams: Injured his hamstring against Minnesota on September 20 and missed the Philadelphia game. He did not practice Wednesday, Thursday or Friday and is ruled out against the Jets, his second consecutive missed game.
• Tyson Bagent: Cleared concussion protocol Sunday, before the Monday game. The earlier uncertainty about whether he would be cleared has therefore been resolved.
• Case Keenum: Started against Philadelphia and supplied two passing touchdowns and a rushing score. He is an option for the Jets game, but no public announcement has settled that assignment.

What Keenum put on the field

Keenum completed 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards and a 110.8 passer rating in his first regular-season action since 2023. His touchdown passes went to Luther Burden III and Kalif Raymond, and he added a one-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

The result also depended on Chicago’s defense. The Bears generated three takeaways and allowed only 62 yards after halftime, helping turn a 10-7 lead at the break into a 20-point win. That is important context when weighing how much one quarterback performance tells us about the offense’s next matchup.

The win brought Chicago to 2-1 after its 9-3 loss to Minnesota. Keenum demonstrated that the Bears could execute their plan with him, rather than merely survive an emergency start.

Preparation still matters on a short week

The practical issue remains how Chicago distributes preparation time among the quarterbacks who can participate. Bagent’s clearance and Keenum’s completed start give the staff more information than it had when this story was first published. Williams’ recovery is a separate question from the coach’s selection between available players.

Friday’s final injury report settles Williams’ availability for Week 4. Johnson’s choice between Bagent and Keenum remains unresolved publicly; neither Bagent’s clearance nor Keenum’s previous start amounts to an announcement for the Jets game.

The Bears host the Jets at Soldier Field on Sunday, October 4, at noon CT.