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With just one preseason game remaining on the docket, the Chicago Bears appear to have something they haven’t had in recent memory: a loaded quarterbacks room.
The team’s starter, No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, has made multiple spectacular plays in his two preseason appearances. If you look solely at the stat sheet, Williams has been average. He has completed 50% of his passing attempts for 170 yards and a rushing score. But those watching his starts against the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals have seen his ability to make incredibly accurate throws on the run — throws that few other QBs in the NFL can make.
Behind Williams, the Bears have second-year backup Tyson Bagent ready to fill the same role again this year, as well as veteran Brett Rypien, who Chicago signed to a $1.125 million deal this offseason. After Rypien went 11-15 for 166 yards and three touchdown passes in Chicago’s first preseason appearance against the Houston Texans, some wondered if there was a competition between Bagent and Rypien for QB2.
Doubters were silenced when Bagent went an impressive 7-for-8 for 87 yards and two touchdowns in the Bears’ August 17 preseason win over Cincinnati. He erased all doubt that the backup job is still his with that performance. After helping beat the Bengals, Bagent was asked about the talk he might be usurped as the team’s QB2. His response was succinct and telling.
“I don’t think I ever wasn’t (the No. 2),” Bagent said, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. “(Rypien) did go throw three touchdown passes in the Hall of Fame game. Trying not to think about that and doing a good job of taking it one day at a time. Everything has been great.”
Tyson Bagent Showed He Has Upside Over Brett Rypien as Bears’ Backup QB
If the Bears roll with two quarterbacks on the roster this season — and it’s likely they will — Bagent has done more than enough to secure his QB2 job.
In addition to going 2-2 while filling in as a starter last year, Bagent has shown an increased comfort and understanding when it comes to running Chicago’s offense. So far this preseason, he has completed 14 of 19 passing attempts for 150 yards and two scores.
When asked what aspects of his game he worked on this offseason, Bagent said his focus was largely mental.
“I think just being able to work on the IQ of playing in this league,” he said on July 26. “You can’t learn enough. There’s a million options on every single play so being able to hone in, lock in and understand the game at a better pace. To be in the NFL, you have to be a dynamic thrower, so continuing to hone in on that skill as well. Those are the two things I kind of focused on as well as continue to maintain all my athletic abilities.”
Bagent’s comfort may also have something to do with Chicago’s first-year offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
New OC Shane Waldron Is Popular in Bears’ QBs Room
Waldron, who is well-versed in the West Coast offense made famous by coaches such as Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan, is known for putting his quarterbacks in the best possible positions to succeed. It’s early, but the results sure look good in Chicago.
“I like the way he installs, the way he teaches all the concepts, the run scheme, the dynamic that him and Flus and all the coaches on the offensive staff have,” Bagent said about Waldron.
“It’s been a good flow. I feel like when I’m going back to look over plays we installed, I’m more just looking over it rather than needing to learn it again and learn the rules based on the play. So it’s been pretty fluent and we’ve been able to put a lot of good stuff in. Looking forward to seeing how it progresses and so far it’s been great.”
With Williams leading the way and Bagent backing him up, the Bears have something they haven’t had in quite some time: security at QB.
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