Bear Digest

Caleb Williams gets a mentor: Grading the Chicago Bears' Case Keenum signing

The Chicago Bears added a veteran quarterback in free agency who should pay dividends as a mentor to second-year QB Caleb Williams in 2025.

Bryan Perez

Scott Galvin-Imagn Images
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The Chicago Bears signed veteran quarterback Case Keenum to a one-year, $3 million deal Thursday night, adding much-needed veteran experience to a quarterback room that's headlined by second-year passer Caleb Williams. Tyson Bagent, who before Keenum's addition was the most seasoned quarterback on the roster, is entering just his third year in the league.

Keenum, meanwhile, is a 14-year veteran who spent the last two seasons mentoring C.J. Stroud with the Houston Texans. We know well that's turned out.

He'll have the same role in Chicago with Williams, who was thrown into the deep end without a life jacket during his rookie season. Williams was left to fend for himself; he had no offensive coordinator or veteran QB he could lean on as he went through the natural learning curve of a first-year passer. It was an epic failure in GM Ryan Poles' roster construction, but that won't happen in 2025.

Keenum shouldn't pose a threat to Bagent's role as the No. 2 quarterback, but he provides a great insurance policy in the event Williams suffers an injury and Bagent proves incapable of legitimate starting reps. At 37, Keenum is a classic one-year rental who will primarily serve as a player-coach for Williams, and it's brilliant.

A starter of 66 games in his career, Keenum joins an already massively upgraded support system around Caleb Williams, headlined by head coach Ben Johnson.

Williams had a fine rookie season that totaled 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns, and just six interceptions. It's remarkable to think he accomplished a stat line like that virtually on his own from an X's and O's standpoint.

With Case Keenum in place as a veteran sounding board in 2025, there's no telling how much growth we'll see from Williams this year.

For that reason alone, the Bears earn a strong B+ for the signing.

Why not an A? That's a grade reserved for a backup quarterback who could lead the Chicago Bears to a win, if needed. A Joe Flacco type, for example.

Still, adding Keenum is a big win and a very solid strategic move by Poles and the Bears.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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