Bears Leave Door Open for Rookie to Win Key Roster Role

Getty Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent, right, put on a show against the Colts on Saturday, August 19.

Rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent put on a show in the Chicago Bears’ second preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts, completing 9-of-10 passes for 76 yards and scoring a touchdown during just two series leading the offense.

As for whether he can win a spot on the 53-man roster or, better yet, earn the top backup job behind Justin Fields, the Bears are keeping things tight-lipped.

“I would just say everything is open right now, and it’s not just that position, it’s every position,” Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said during August 19’s postgame when if Bagent has a chance to win the backup job. “If the guy is in the competition, everybody can look at the roster and see who’s in a competition. Those are all going to be open. I think if you close your mind off to that, you might be missing on something.”

More directly, Eberflus praised the “poise” that Bagent showed in his second career NFL preseason game. Unlike the opener, he was the second quarterback brought into the game right behind top backup candidate P.J. Walker, who started against the Colts with Justin Fields and most of the other starters resting for the week. He was also quite possibly the best quarterback on the field for the Bears in Saturday’s 24-17 loss.

“I saw poise,” Eberflus said of Bagent’s second performance. “Delivery was there, the accuracy looked pretty good, timing was nice, decision-making was good.”

Bagent: ‘I Know How to Run Every Play in the Playbook’

Bagent could knock it out of the park again in the Bears’ preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills next weekend and he would still have a long ways to go as an NFL passer. There are many first-round quarterbacks who take multiple years to figure things out and hone their mechanics to an NFL-winning level. Fields himself is still working on it.

In terms of understanding Luke Getsy’s offensive system and playbook, though, Bagent appears to be leagues ahead of other undrafted rookie quarterbacks making their way.

“As a quarterback, I really just … to make them as comfortable as possible with the thought of me in the game, just really have them understand every play that needs to be run, I at least know how to run it,” Bagent said in Saturday’s postgame. “Every play is not going to be perfect, but I know how to run every play in the playbook, and that’s kind of where I’m at, just working tirelessly. I know opportunities are going to present themselves, so I just try to be as ready as I can for those opportunities.”

What Are Bagent’s Chances of Winning a Roster Spot?

No doubt, Bagent has exceeded expectations in his first NFL training camp. A guy who should be a raw Division II prospect sitting on the roster fringes has managed to make himself look like a calm and collected veteran over the past two preseason games, passing up actual veteran Nathan Peterman on the depth chart against the Colts. He is, at the very least, the third-best quarterback on the Bears’ current 90-man roster.

Can Bagent make the 53-man cut when decisions are made on August 29, though?

The Bears kept just two quarterbacks — Fields and former backup Trevor Siemian — for their initial roster in 2022 and seemed poised to do the same in 2023 after signing P.J. Walker to a two-year, $4 million contract to come aboard as their new backup. Walker has played poorly in the Bears’ first two preseason games, though, completing just five of his 12 pass attempts for 25 yards, zero touchdowns and an interception.

The Bears could outright replace Walker, but the uncertainty might also tempt them to keep a third quarterback on their roster as they begin the 2023 regular season — especially with the new NFL rule that incentivizes rostering three quarterbacks.

The new rule — as outlined in this memo from May’s league meetings — allows for teams to dress a third quarterback for games without using up one of their 48 game-day roster spots so long as the third quarterback is already on the active roster and not a member of their practice squad (regardless of whether he was elevated). For some, this could incentivize keeping a third passer on the 53-man roster as a safeguard; although, it is awfully rare that both rostered quarterbacks get hurt in the same game, even if it did happen last year for San Francisco.

For now, Bagent’s chances of making the 53-man cut are still slim, but they aren’t as slim as Nathan Peterman’s chances. And hey, with another good preseason showing, maybe he can persuade general manager Ryan Poles three quarterbacks is a good thing.