The mark of any quarterback is whether he can get teammates to believe in him. Plenty of talented guys have played that position in the NFL over the years. Many of them never won over a locker room, either because of their subpar play on the field or their underwhelming lack of leadership. The Chicago Bears have seen this reality for decades. Some quarterbacks were solid on the field but disliked in the locker room. For others, it was the reverse. They were beloved in the locker room but couldn’t produce on Sundays. Tyson Bagent became the latest to try breaking down that fence between the two.
He faced a tough task last Sunday. The Las Vegas Raiders came in on a two-game winning streak, boasting the #8 pass defense in the league. Bagent knew he had to resist the urge to play hero ball as he often did in college. His job was to command the huddle, protect the football, and make good decisions. That is what he did, going 21-of-29 for 162 yards and one touchdown without a turnover. Chicago piled up 173 rushing yards and gave up only 12 points on defense for a 30-12 victory.
For an idea of the impact he had, all you have to do is listen to his teammates on the sidelines. Inside The NFL caught tight ends Cole Kmet and Marcedes Lewis discussing Bagent. Their words were nothing but praise.
Tyson Bagent winning over Lewis is a big deal.
Remember who this guy is. He’s been in the league since 2006, one of its most tenured players. In that time, he has played with the full range of quarterbacks. That includes draft busts (Blake Bortles and Blaine Gabbert) to an underrated Pro Bowler (David Garrard) and, of course, a future Hall of Famer in Aaron Rodgers. He knows better than most what separates the good ones from everybody else. It’s their ability to prepare in practice and carry it over to Sundays. It appears Bagent can do that.
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What this means for the future is unknown. Head coach Matt Eberflus made it clear, despite the win, that Justin Fields remains the starting quarterback. This is no surprise. The team committed to him in the offseason and intends to see their investment through to the end. However, Tyson Bagent might be able to change that narrative this weekend. He will start for the second straight week, this time on the road against a talented Los Angeles Chargers team. If he can somehow pull off the upset, conversations will shift. It sounds like his teammates are open to the idea.
