Getty LANDOVER, MARYLAND - OCTOBER 05: Tyson Bagent #17 of the Chicago Bears warms up before the game against the Washington Commanders at FedExField on October 05, 2023 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Dan Hampton is among those who want the Chicago Bears to start quarterback Tyson Bagent over Justin Fields.
Bagent has been one of the most fun and talked-about stories in the league so far this season. The undrafted rookie became the first QB since 2010 to start an NFL game when he led the Bears to a 30-12 win over the Las Vegas Raiders Week 7.
Bagent, who was filling in for an injured Fields, won the first home game for Chicago since September 11, 2022. It was just one game, but it was enough to convince Hampton that Bagent should take over for Fields.
Dan Hampton Says Tyson Bagent Had ‘Total Control’ of Bears Offense
Tyson Bagent went from playing Division II football last year to winning his first career NFL start.
Amazing advice from the rookie. 🙌
On the October 22 episode of the Hamp & O’B podcast, Hampton and co-host Ed O’Bradovich discussed Chicago’s Week 7 win. Both gave Bagent his flowers — and both think the rookie UDFA should start instead of Fields.
“At some point, you’ve gotta just look at the facts. The offense — he was in total control,” Hampton said about Bagent. “He knew exactly where he wanted to go with the ball. He made zero mistakes, and even though his numbers were modest … Let me tell you what he did. He avoided the catastrophe play and he won a football game in Soldier Field. We haven’t seen that from Justin Fields in over a year. So however you want to cut it, right now, Tyson Bagent should be the starting quarterback.”
Bagent went 21-of-29 for 162 yards and a touchdown in his debut. He was sacked just once and didn’t turn the ball over, which was key. Fields has been sacked at least three times in each of his six starts this season.
Hampton, a Hall of Famer and member of the famed ’85 Bears defense, noted how rare Bagent’s accomplishment as a UDFA was.
“This doesn’t happen much in this league. And to see it happen here — we really are looking for a glimmer of hope,” Hampton said about a Bears team that had won just one game all season.
O’Bradovich agreed. “For that kid to start his first game coming from a teeny-weeny school, Division II — to start here at Soldier Field against — they’re all formidable opponents,” O’Bradovich said. “The way this kid handled it! The huddle, they came out, there was rhythm — no matter if it was a run or a pass. … He had a look of confidence. He was moving the ball.”
Dan Hampton Took Issue With Matt Eberflus’ Postgame Comments About Tyson Bagent
Here is Tyson Bagent’s passing chart for his performance against the Raiders, according to @NextGenStats.
As you can see, only one of Bagent’s passes traveled beyond 15 yards, and a majority of them were to the boundaries.
Guess what? That’s fine.
This was the game plan the…
After the win over the Raiders, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus praised Bagent and the rest of the team for their efforts.
“Tyson, we talked about it all week; there was poise, pocket presence,” Eberflus said about Bagent. “He did get some pressure sometimes and he did evade the rush. He got the ball down the field, and I thought he did a nice job of distributing the ball with skill and that was good to see to multiple receivers and all those things, that was good.”
The Bears coach also noted Bagent “did really well. He did really well in terms of the operation, getting the play call in and out.”
Hampton took umbrage with that response.
“That’s awful dismissive of Eberflus,” Hampton said. “This kid goes out and performs so great it turned into a ho-hum, routine win at home. First time in 13 months while he’s been the coach. … For him to say: ‘Oh yeah, he did a nice job.’ What the? You kidding me?”
“He’s an accurate passer. He can read defenses. He can see the entire field,” O’Bradovich said about Bagent, before taking a dig at Fields: “The other kid, he can’t get it done. Why do I say that? He’s had two and a half years losing game after game after game.”
Matt Eberflus: Justin Fields is QB1
Matt Eberflus reiterates than Justin Fields is his starter, obviously.
Fields, who is still nursing a dislocated thumb, is expected to miss Week 8. The former first-round pick out of Ohio State should be back after that considering Eberflus has already nipped a QB controversy in the bud.
“Justin is our starting quarterback. Tyson is the backup,” the Bears coach confirmed after beating the Raiders.
The Bears have invested too much in Fields to give up on him now. Bagent has proven he can play in this league. That’s one thing. But the Bears need to see what they have in Fields before the season ends. Thus, it’ll take more than a few solid games from Bagent to make the Bears move on from Fields. Whether Hampton likes it or not.