Veteran quarterback Case Keenum has traveled around during his 13 seasons in the NFL, playing with eight teams and establishing himself as one a leader, mentor, and when called upon, serviceable quarterback. Now, he arrives to the Chicago Bears to serve as a mentor for second-year quarterback Caleb Williams.
Adding Keenum brings a piece that’s been missing in Chicago’s quarterback room for the past couple of seasons — veteran experience and leadership. Former undrafted free agent Tyson Bagent earned the starting job as a rookie and has served in that role for the past two seasons. But now, Williams gets a veteran voice in the quarterback room.
While Keenum’s signing doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll replace Bagent as the backup — that competition will be one to watch in training camp — but having an experienced and knowledgable veteran in the room will only help the two young quarterbacks grow in their own way. For Keenum, the decision to sign with Chicago wasn’t a difficult one, especially with all the changes the Bears have gone through this offseason.
“I want to be a part of building something special with Ben, his offensive mind and Caleb, his incredible talent and just such a bright future,” Keenum said, via ChicagoBears.com. “To pair all that in a city like Chicago with an organization like the Chicago Bears, man, it’s such a great tradition and history. I mean, I’m trying to pick a number and there’s like 50 numbers retired. That says something about a place.”
Keenum added that it didn’t take long for him to realize the Bears were a team that fit him and what he was looking for, especially after being on injured reserve all of last season while with the Houston Texans.
“As I got to know the Bears coaching staff and Ryan and Ben, it’s like, ‘yeah, this is a place that fits me, and I can really get behind and be a part of this and enjoy playing football again,” Keenum said. “It was tough last year being on IR, not being a part of the team as much, so to really get back in a building and have a team want me, come and find me and say, ‘hey, you have something that we want, so come here and play for us’ felt really good.”
Keenum is coming into a welcoming situation as Johnson and Poles have committed to strengthening the talent on the roster, the morale in the locker room, and the excitement in the fanbase. All of those things have happened during the offseason, and they’ll have to translate over to when it matters in the regular season. But now, Williams will have a veteran mind to help guide him along the way.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Why Case Keenum signed with the Chicago Bears
Veteran quarterback Case Keenum has traveled around during his 13 seasons in the NFL, playing with eight teams and establishing himself as one a leader, mentor, and when called upon, serviceable quarterback. Now, he arrives to the Chicago Bears to serve as a mentor for second-year quarterback Caleb Williams.
Adding Keenum brings a piece that’s been missing in Chicago’s quarterback room for the past couple of seasons — veteran experience and leadership. Former undrafted free agent Tyson Bagent earned the starting job as a rookie and has served in that role for the past two seasons. But now, Williams gets a veteran voice in the quarterback room.
While Keenum’s signing doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll replace Bagent as the backup — that competition will be one to watch in training camp — but having an experienced and knowledgable veteran in the room will only help the two young quarterbacks grow in their own way. For Keenum, the decision to sign with Chicago wasn’t a difficult one, especially with all the changes the Bears have gone through this offseason.
“I want to be a part of building something special with Ben, his offensive mind and Caleb, his incredible talent and just such a bright future,” Keenum said, via ChicagoBears.com. “To pair all that in a city like Chicago with an organization like the Chicago Bears, man, it’s such a great tradition and history. I mean, I’m trying to pick a number and there’s like 50 numbers retired. That says something about a place.”
Keenum added that it didn’t take long for him to realize the Bears were a team that fit him and what he was looking for, especially after being on injured reserve all of last season while with the Houston Texans.
“As I got to know the Bears coaching staff and Ryan and Ben, it’s like, ‘yeah, this is a place that fits me, and I can really get behind and be a part of this and enjoy playing football again,” Keenum said. “It was tough last year being on IR, not being a part of the team as much, so to really get back in a building and have a team want me, come and find me and say, ‘hey, you have something that we want, so come here and play for us’ felt really good.”
Keenum is coming into a welcoming situation as Johnson and Poles have committed to strengthening the talent on the roster, the morale in the locker room, and the excitement in the fanbase. All of those things have happened during the offseason, and they’ll have to translate over to when it matters in the regular season. But now, Williams will have a veteran mind to help guide him along the way.
Follow Bears Wire on Twitter and Facebook
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Why Case Keenum signed with the Chicago Bears
