Getty Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, left, talks with general manager Ryan Poles.
If the Chicago Bears are disillusioned with P.J. Walker as a backup option behind starting quarterback Justin Fields, then Colin Cowherd has a bold suggestion.
During August 23’s episode of The Herd on Fox Sports Radio, the longtime NFL analyst spent a sizeable portion of his show talking about the latest revelation in San Francisco, that Trey Lance — the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 draft — has been relegated to the No. 3 quarterback spot behind starter Brock Purdy and veteran backup Sam Darnold.
Cowherd also discussed potential landing spots for Lance in light of reports from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero that the Niners are exploring their options with the former first-round pick. One of the first ones he mentioned? The Bears.
“I’ll tell you a team I’d throw it out there: Chicago,” Cowherd suggested. “Who backs up Justin Fields? Trey Lance can run the Justin Fields offense, which is move the pocket.
“To me, I want my backup to share qualities [with my starter]. If I have Lamar Jackson, I don’t want a pocket guy. I want my backup to share the qualities of my starter. I don’t think Trey Lance is as good as Justin Fields, and I think Justin’s the future, but Trey — you can move the pocket with Trey. To me, if I’m Chicago, I’d give up a fifth- or sixth-round pick for him. Bring him into camp and give him a rep.”
Would Ryan Poles Take a Risk for a 6th-Round Pick?
GettyNiners quarterback Trey Lance could be on the trade block in the coming weeks.
The modus operandi for Ryan Poles during his short tenure as the Bears’ general manager has been risk-aversion, at least for the most part. There are a few exceptions, such as the second-rounder he gave up to acquire wide receiver Chase Claypool from Pittsburgh, but he has rarely given into the temptation of acquiring a flashy, trade-available player for the often-high costs that teams are looking to get for them.
If Cowherd’s suggestion is right and the Niners would be willing to part ways with Lance for as low as a sixth-round pick, though, it is possible Poles would consider it.
Lance has far from lived up to his original top-three selection over his first two years in the NFL, completing just under 56% of his passes (46 of 83) for 635 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions over his four career starts in that period of time. A season-ending injury in 2022 did rob him of his first genuine opportunity to be the guy for San Francisco, but losing out to Purdy and Darnold casts a long shadow of doubt about his capabilities of being an effective starting quarterback in the NFL.
Nevertheless, Lance has admirable arm strength that originally drew the Niners to him and possesses pocket mobility that, like Cowherd said, could make him an asset in the system the Bears are running under offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. He needs to improve his decision-making and awareness in the pocket, but Getsy might look at Lance’s raw skill set and say, “I can work with that” — especially for a sixth-rounder.
The Bears would also have to weigh the financial impact of taking on Lance’s contract. According to Niners cap guru Jason Hurley, San Francisco would only save $940,000 in 2023 if they traded Lance since they paid out his roughly $2.82 million roster bonus at the start of training camp, but the acquiring team would still be on the hook for about $5.31 million in 2024 — with the Niners retaining about $5.54 million in dead cap.
Chicago could certainly fit a sub-$6 million backup-quarterback cap hit on their books for the 2024 season, but with Fields eligible for an extension starting next offseason and other roster needs to which they need to attend, the risk may be too rich for their tastes.
Tyson Bagent’s Fast Start Could Solve Backup Problem
The Bears taking a chance on Lance is not the most ludicrous idea in the world if, again, the price is right. One thing that could eliminate their need to look for outside help at quarterback, though, is the fast development of undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent.
While Walker struggled for a second straight preseason game against Indianapolis last weekend, Bagent looked far beyond the normal capabilities of an undrafted rookie out of a Division II program. He went 9-of-10 passing for 76 yards and scored on a 2-yard touchdown run, all the while maintaining the calm composure of a seasoned veteran. More impressive was the way Bagent broke down his scoring play in the postgame, which highlighted his ability to read the defense and make quick decisions.
“We’re breaking the huddle pretty fast, trying to get set,” Bagent said. “Quick cadence, trying to catch them off-guard. We had a mesh concept with the back in the flat, kind of bobbled the snap a little bit. Checked the back out, he was covered. The first mesh was covered. Escaped the pocket, looking at the high mesh opposite. Gave him a pump fake, defender rolled with him and I was able to sneak into the end zone.”
Now, the Bears have been noncommittal about saying whether Bagent has a legitimate chance to push Walker from the No. 2 quarterback job. Getsy also seemed to downplay Walker’s rough preseason outings when speaking with reporters on August 23, saying that “all three guys have done a really nice job through training camp” and each had their share of good days and bad ones.
If Bagent can string together another strong performance in the preseason finale against Buffalo, though, the Bears might, at the very least, have a compelling reason to keep three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster to avoid Bagent getting poached.