Getty Former Bears defensive end Alex Smith still believes Tyson Bagent runs the offense "better" than quarterback Justin Fields.
The Chicago Bears could have quarterback Justin Fields back at the helm as soon as November 9’s prime-time matchup with the Carolina Panthers, but one former Bears star has far more faith in Tyson Bagent remaining their starter.
Following Week 9’s loss to the New Orleans Saints, former Bears defensive end Alex Brown defended Bagent’s four-turnover performance on NBC Sports Chicago’s ‘Football Aftershow’ and argued the rookie quarterback’s mistakes can be “easily fixed.”
Brown then took it a step further and said he believes Bagent runs the Bears offense better than Fields even though he expects Fields will reclaim the role when healthy.
“What you can’t do is being in your Year 2 or Year 3 and you still can’t read a defense. Like, that’s a problem for me,” Brown said, alluding to his evaluation of Fields. “What I see [Bagent] doing, yes, he’s making mistakes. Yes, I’m with Coach [Dave Wannstedt], you can’t turn the ball over like he did in the second half and expect to win.
“But we also saw some really good things he did, too. I just believe he runs the offense a little better, but when Justin’s back, he’ll probably be the guy coming back in.”
Justin Fields Remains Limited in Week 10 Practices
The Bears are certainly getting closer to having Fields back in their lineup. He practiced for a second straight day as a limited participant on Tuesday, November 7, and now has three practices under his belt going back to last week’s return to practice. Bears head coach Matt Eberflus also classified him as “day-to-day” in terms of his thumb injury.
If Fields stays limited or upgrades to a full participant on Wednesday, there is a chance the Bears will let him start against the Panthers on Thursday Night Football.
For now, though, there are no guarantees that Bagent will not get one last crack at being the Bears’ starting quarterback. The 23-year-old has completed 66.6% of his passes for 614 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions over his three starts, but a matchup against one of the league’s better passing offense could give him a chance to conclude his relief stretch on a high note. It might even earn him a long-term backup job.
Fields or Bagent, Bears’ Game Plan Will Not Change Much
Regardless of which quarterback starts — Fields or Bagent — the Bears do not sound like they are going to be significantly changing their game plan against the Panthers.
Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy was asked November 7 about potential variance in the Bears’ game plan depending on which quarterback they have available and reiterated they designed their offensive system in a way that does not radically change their approach depending on which differently-skilled quarterback is under center.
“I think that’s the cool part about how we have put this thing together at the very beginning where we felt like we put it all out there for our guys and being able to take this thing in a few different directions, and the guys feel really comfortable in doing that,” Getsy said. “So I don’t think, from everybody else’s perspective in that room other than the two quarterbacks, it’s not going to feel like it’s a different game plan by any means if we go one direction or the other.”
The Bears (2-7) will host the Panthers (1-7) at 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 9. They will release their final injury report — with Justin Fields’ projected game-day status — on Wednesday afternoon following their final practice of the week.
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