Getty Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.
The Chicago Bears could be contending for the playoffs during the 2024 season if rookie quarterback Caleb Williams adjusts quickly to the NFL and delivers on the star power that made him this year’s No. 1 overall draft pick. Should they have a veteran backup plan in place, though, if something keeps Williams off the field?
One ESPN analyst believes they should.
ESPN writer Aaron Schatz recently connected the dots between the Bears and veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who has become a popular free agent suggestion for Chicago in the months since Williams’ selection. Tannehill will be 36 before the start of the 2024 season, but he has started 151 games over the past 11 seasons and would offer a more competitive backup option than any of the three quarterbacks behind Williams.
Tannehill, if willing, could also offer vital mentorship to Williams in his first season with Schatz even describing his potential role as “a veteran part-time coach.”
“The Bears believe they put a real playoff-contending team around rookie quarterback Caleb Williams,” Schatz wrote on June 23. “What on earth are they going to do if Williams gets hurt? Tyson Bagent and Brett Rypien are not bringing this team to the playoffs. The Bears should sign the best free agent quarterback left on the market and let him earn a check as Williams’ backup and as a veteran part-time coach.”
Ryan Tannehill Remains Best Veteran QB Possibility
If the Bears want to add a veteran quarterback to their roster to be their new No. 2, Tannehill makes more sense than the rest of the options on the market. Part of that is a credit to Tannehill himself, who played good stretches for the Tennessee Titans over the past five seasons with Pro Bowl and Comeback Player of the Year recognition in 2019.
Tannehill showed signs of decline for the Titans in 2023, throwing four touchdowns and seven interceptions in his 10 games and suffering an early-season high ankle sprain that made things more difficult for him. The Titans even benched Tannehill for rookie Will Levis, but he played the final three games after Levis suffered an injury.
The other reason why Tannehill makes sense for the Bears, of course, is that the current quarterback market is bone dry. Teddy Bridgewater could have been an option, but he has retired and is now a high school football coach in Miami. Trevor Siemian and Jacob Eason are also options, but Siemian has already had one (forgettable) stint in Chicago while Eason has even less experience than Bagent collected as a rookie in 2023.
Simply put, Tannehill is the only sensible option because he is the only one who could arguably improve the Bears’ quarterback situation behind Williams. Then again, there is no reason to think the Bears have an overwhelming desire to add a veteran passer.
Tyson Bagent Could Win or Lose Backup Job in Camp
The Bears are focused on Williams, and it is hard to blame them. He is as highly touted of a quarterback prospect as the franchise has ever selected and could finally be the answer to their enduring quarterback struggles. They have even already named him their starting quarterback for the 2024 season — as if there was any doubt at all.
Whether the Bears feel they need to add a more experienced quarterback to the room behind him, though, will likely depend on how Bagent performs in training camp.
Bagent took Chicago by surprise in 2023, working his way from an undrafted talent out of Division II Shepherd to the primary backup job early in the season. He showed so much promise in the offseason that the Bears cut loose veteran P.J. Walker — the free agent they signed to be Justin Fields’ backup — and turned things over to Bagent.
Midway through the season, Bagent also got an opportunity to play extended reps over five games while Fields dealt with an injury. The results were a mix of good and bad with Bagent completing 65.1% of his passes (84 of 129) for 776 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions over his four relief starts. Still, experience is a valuable teacher.
The Bears will still need to see more signs of growth from Bagent in 2024 to feel confident about him as their No. 2 quarterback, but the job is essentially his to lose at this point — unless the team listens to the urgings and brings in a compelling veteran.