Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has been ruled out of Monday night's home game against the Eagles due to a hamstring injury he sustained midway through the fourth quarter of last Sunday's contest versus the Vikings.

Williams, who was unable to practice this week, will miss his first NFL game. Since being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, he has started every Bears regular season (36) and playoff (2) contest.

Williams will be replaced Monday night by either Tyson Bagent or Case Keenum, neither of whom has started an NFL regular-season game since 2023.

After Williams exited against the Vikings, Bagent suffered a concussion that forced him to sit out practice Wednesday and Friday. He cleared the necessary steps to work out without limitations Saturday. But the fourth-year pro remains in the NFL's concussion protocol and is listed as questionable for Monday night's game.

The Bears' starting quarterback against the Eagles could come down to a game-time decision between Bagent and Keenum.

"There's a different skill set, obviously," said coach Ben Johnson. "One guy's a little bit more mobile than the other, and yet both are very cerebral players. I know they'll be mentally prepared for the game, and we'll see what it looks like. But there's a reason why Tyson was the backup as we ended camp, and we felt good about who he is as a player and what he can bring to the table to this offense.

"So, [I] would be excited to get him out there as well. We've got a lot of good choices. We'll come together as a staff and make sure we're on the same page."

In his 14th NFL season, Keenum spoke to reporters Wednesday about his reverence for Johnson, saying he was set to retire last year before speaking to the coach and agreeing to join the Bears. Keenum added that Johnson is "going to go down as probably the best play caller, play designer, coach, all of the above when it's all said and done."

The two had never worked together before joining forces in Chicago, but Johnson received glowing reviews about Keenum from mutual friends.

"He came highly recommended just in terms of the type of person that he was," Johnson said. "And as we envisioned what that role could be like as the third quarterback potentially and competing for backup at that point — we hadn't had any time with Tyson, so there was going to be a competition for him as well — that was really the talking point: 'This is what the scenario is and how we feel like you can fit in.'

"I wasn't sure where he was at in terms of mindset at that point, yet I did feel a natural rapport, easy conversation going back and forth, shared experiences, and he warmed up to that idea. It was right for him and his family. He's kind of like the governor down in Texas, so pulling him out of Houston was no easy feat, but the City of Chicago has a pretty good draw itself, so that played a part as well. His family loves it here. We're very fortunate to have him. Everything that we hoped he would be in this role, he has been, and if he plays Monday night, we're expecting big things from him."

Williams and Bagent are the only Bears players on the 53-man roster with injury designations for Monday night's game. Running back Kyle Monangai (knee), cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (hamstring) and kicker Cairo Santos (right hip) are all good to go after sitting out or being limited earlier in the week.

Santos told reporters that he felt some soreness after kicking so many heavy, wet footballs against the Vikings and appreciated Johnson and special teams coordinator Richard Hightower giving him time to rest.

"It didn't feel like an injury like last year," Santos said. "It was just soreness, and a couple days later, it cleared up. They let me rest until my next kicking day, which was today, and everything went well, so looking forward to Monday."

After leaving the Vikings game with a hamstring injury, Stevenson was able to practice more this week than the Bears had anticipated. It's not the first time he's fought through an injury to get back on the field quicker than expected.

"He's a tough individual in general," Johnson said. "He's always been that way, at least that's how I know him. We joke around, it's 'Miami tough.' I was fortunate to be down there for seven years, and so I do think there's something in the water down there. Guys are a little bit different in terms of how they're brought up. I said it at the end of training camp: we have a roster full of guys that are fighting, fighting to be on that grass and be on the field and help their teammates win."