EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsCHICAGO -- Bears coach Ben Johnson was noncommittal Monday on which quarterback will start against the Atlanta Falcons this weekend.On the heels of a 31-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers where Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum accounted for four of Chicago's five turnovers, Johnson said the team is still deciding which of its backup quarterbacks will be the starter should Caleb Williams not be ready to return from a hamstring injury."We're still working through that," Johnson said. "No determination has been made in terms of what direction we're going. There are a lot of things that we're assessing right now."Johnson struck a different tone one week after stating that Bagent had "earned the right" to be the No. 2 quarterback in Chicago. Bagent was benched after throwing his second interception against the Packers and finished with 87 passing yards and a 27.4 passer rating. Keenum replaced Bagent in the fourth quarter but experienced similar struggles. He went 11-of-19 for 108 yards and an interception.Asked whether Bagent is capable of starting for the Bears again, Johnson said, "We have three guys that can win games in this league."The Bears were without Williams for a third straight game as he recovers from a Grade 2 hamstring strain. Williams returned to practice last Friday in limited capacity and went through an extensive on-field workout in Green Bay Sunday morning before being ruled inactive.Johnson said postgame that Williams is "close" to returning, which he said could be as soon as the Bears' next game in Atlanta. During his Monday appearance on ESPN 1000, Johnson said he had not yet given thought to the tight turnaround Chicago has following its Week 6 game (the Bears host the Patriots four days later) and whether that would affect Williams' timeline to return.At the time of his injury in Week 2, Williams had the third-best Total QBR (85.1) and led all quarterbacks in rushing yards (107). Bagent and Keenum have a combined Total QBR of 56.8 and have thrown two more interceptions (4) than touchdowns."[Williams is] doing a great job progressing and we'll see when we can make him available to help us win ball games," Johnson said. "But he's itching to get back as soon as he can, which is a good thing, and when we get the green light, we'll move forward from there."
