LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Chicago Bears aren't certain who will start at quarterback against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3, but 15-year journeyman Case Keenum is next up after a rash of injuries have decimated the quarterback room.
Keenum was the only quarterback on the Bears' active roster to practice Wednesday while Caleb Williams (hamstring) and Tyson Bagent (concussion) were sidelined. Miller Moss, an undrafted rookie on Chicago's practice squad, took backup reps during the two-hour session.
Five days removed from Chicago's primetime showdown on "Monday Night Football," Keenum could be in line to start his first regular-season game since 2023.
"I feel very prepared," Keenum said. "It's what I do every week. It's what I've done for a long time. I've backed up a long time in this league. If my name's called, I'm excited to be out there."
Keenum, 38, has not played in a regular-season NFL game since Weeks 15 and 16 of the 2023 season when he logged consecutive starts for the Houston Texans. As the Bears' third-string quarterback behind Williams and Bagent, Keenum's practice cadence is normally restricted to mental reps, which he's exchanging this week for work with the starters.
"I feel as good mentally as I've ever felt," Keenum said. "Being able to see things before they happen, having a lot of banked reps. So stuff I've done in the past, maybe we're not getting a ton of reps of it this week, but feel good about if I'm playing to be the one to run those plays. I think as far as operationally goes, I think we can do a lot of things pre-snap, try to get the right play when we can, and I think we can do a lot of fun stuff."
Keenum ended up in this position after Bagent reported concussion symptoms Tuesday and entered the league's five-step protocol. Coach Ben Johnson said he believes Bagent was injured on the backup's second play in place of Williams in the fourth quarter. After releasing a short pass to his left that fell incomplete, Bagent was tackled by Vikings outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel.
Bagent was not present at Halas Hall on Wednesday while working through the earliest phase of the concussion protocol. Meanwhile, Williams, who is classified as week-to-week, has been actively involved in walk-throughs and meetings as the Bears game-plan for the Eagles.