It’s priority time for the Bears. GM Ryan Poles and HC Ben Johnson are working tirelessly to build a team that will win games. The center of attention? QB Caleb Williams. They hyped up the first overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft throughout the entire offseason last year. But all the big talk fizzled out on the gridiron. They were eliminated with a 5–12 win-loss record. One thing is now widely accepted: they need options and backups for everything.

The biggest one of them is a backup signal caller. During the 2024 season, the only backups they had were Tyson Bagent and Austin Reed. Both of them are newbies with almost negligible experience. While Bagent started 4 games in 2023 and recorded a 2-2 win-loss record with 3 TDs and 6 interceptions, Reed has played no game. Johnson understood this could prove dangerous in future and signed a veteran backup.

On April 3, the NFC North franchise announced the arrival of QB Case Keenum on a 1-year, up to $3 million deal. He has seen the ups and downs of the league for the last 12 years now. And will be a great backup for Caleb Williams. The Texans signed him in 2012 after he went undrafted. It was the start of a long yet tough journey.

Over the years, Keenum has played for 7 teams. He has a 30-36 win-loss record in 80 games (66 starters) and has a 62.3% completion rate, with 15,175 passing yards and 79 touchdowns. Those are pretty good numbers for a backup signal caller. The 37-year-old has only been in the playoffs in 2017, when he took the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game.

Since then, he’s been bouncing from team to team, searching for stability. But the entire 2024 season was lost to the injured reserve list—a glaring red flag that makes this move a bold gamble. Still, the Bears are all in. They haven’t just found a backup for their quarterback—they’re stacking the deck, loading up with reinforcements on both sides of the ball, ready to rewrite the narrative.

Caleb Williams receives 2 boosters

At the NFL Annual Meeting that wrapped up on Tuesday, the head coach emphasized the evaluation of every position. The process has already begun, and the time to assemble a roster of game-winners is now. The first addition came on the offensive line, the specialty of Ben Johnson. But he also brought in wide receiver Miles Boykin, a third-round pick (93rd overall) by the Ravens in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Over five seasons, Boykin has appeared in just 73 games—starting only 25—and has recorded 38 receptions for 498 yards and 7 touchdowns. Solid but far from standout numbers. Still, the Bears will have time to let Caleb Williams develop chemistry with the receiver and explore how best to use him.

On the other side of the ball, they’ve also bolstered their defense by signing a cornerback—adding more firepower to a unit looking to make a statement.

Another Ravens draftee from the 2021 NFL Draft, fifth-round (160th overall) selection CB Shaun Wade, has also gained some experience in the league. He has played in only 20 games (6 starts), with just 1 pass defended and 26 tackles (23 solo). Both players have joined the Bears on one-year deals, giving the team time to test their potential.

This year is a test for Caleb Williams, Ben Johnson, and the rest of the coaching staff. Everyone wants results. Can they deliver? If not, expect major changes that may have been avoided this year to finally take place.