The Chicago Bears had one of the better off-seasons of any team in the NFL. GM Ryan Poles did a great job addressing his team’s needs. Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze gave them more firepower at wide receiver. Ryan Bates and Coleman Shelton provide depth and competition at center. D’Andre Swift brings more explosiveness to running back. Austin Booker gives them sorely needed speed off the edge. Still, not everything was addressed to the satisfaction of some. One area remains a bone of contention.
That is the backup quarterback spot.
The Bears made it clear that #1 overall pick Caleb Williams is the unquestioned starter moving forward. Nobody disputes that. It was expected. However, there is a lingering concern about the quarterback room’s overall lack of experience. Chicago’s other options include Tyson Bagent, Brett Rypien, and rookie Austin Reed. Those three combine for less than ten total starts in the NFL. That makes a lot of people uncomfortable, both because it doesn’t give Williams a veteran brain to pick and because of uncertain stability if he went down with an injury. It is why many wonder if the Bears might look to add somebody with a longer track record. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune addressed this dilemma, making it clear where the team stands.
My first reaction is what veteran quarterback is on the street who is worth a look and would want the job? My hunch is the Bears like the idea of developing Tyson Bagent as a No. 2 quarterback, and with Brett Rypien having some experience and undrafted rookie Austin Reed in place, I’m not sure the Bears are looking at this the same way…
…The Bears have a collection of coaches to develop Caleb Williams, starting with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph, passing game coordinator Thomas Brown and offensive assistants Ryan Griffin and Robbie Picazo. Williams will have no shortage of support staff to lean on as he adapts as a professional.
The Chicago Bears’ stance isn’t all that surprising.
Bagent played pretty well last season across his four starts and other backup appearances. He showcased poise and confidence and made enough plays to help them win a couple of games. That is all teams can ask from a backup quarterback. Rather than shift to an older veteran, they would prefer to continue this project, which has shown signs of legitimate progress. For one thing, he is cheaper than somebody like Ryan Tannehill would be. For another, he won’t muddy the waters behind Williams.
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The only way this changes is if Bagent either gets hurt or shows serious regression from last season. Maybe he doesn’t mesh with Shane Waldron’s new offense. However, that seems unlikely. His work ethic and ability to absorb information quickly are among the reasons Bagent won the backup job in the first place. He isn’t one to get thrown out of sorts by such changes. The Chicago Bears are content to let him continue growing, and he is certain to be an asset to Williams in various ways.
If I remember correctly Bagent knew Getsy’s playbook better than Fields and ran it better. He probably already has Waldrons pretty well in hand and could be a sounding board for Williams. Fields didn’t want to hear a word from Bagent last year. I seen it right after Fields came back from being injured.
Wow poo fest followed by Dr justinfieldsuncle. Two of the biggest downers on the boards. Have u tards gotten over that we sent fields packing yet? I see poo can’t resist referencing it.
Our oline was average LAST year. After suffering early injuries. When healthy, it’s a lot higher than average and the second half of the season it was not average. And Justin fields will always make an oline look a little worse than they are. So each of you welders grab a seat and watch daaaaahhhhhhhh bears go 12 and 5.
I don’t want a washed up veteran to come in and “share” his wisdom that was gained when he was younger, the league was different, the scheme and coaches were different, the city was different, etc. Tyson Bagent has been in Chicago over a year. He knows the city, and some of the coaches. He has some NFL experience, he can help a little with that. For the rest of everything else, I’d rather Caleb Williams got his lessons from the coaches. I think very few QBs hired as mentors actually teach. They think they should be number one. If… Read more »
The offensive line is still a rather large question and Poles just doesn’t seem to see it as urgent. Yet look at the teams that are in contention for the Super Bowl. Do any of them have an O-line as mediocre as ours? I do not think the older retreads we picked up this year are going to drastically change the direction of the O-line. I’m glad we picked the punter, but there were still some stud centers available in the draft at that pick.
I don’t view the lack of “veteran” quarterback as dire as many Bears watchers. The team (and Ryan Poles) addressed THE major issue of the Bears offensively in simply getting rid of Luke Getsy and hiring professionals. Unlike some people, I never expect Williams (or Fields) to be magically wonderful, but having a full stable of offensive coordinators, analysts and coaches, even for a proven coordinator like Waldron, is necessary in today’s NFL. Some think I’m bashing Getsy and am a Fields “fanboy,” but the fact is, when Eberflus took over the defensive coordinator position and brought in Phil Snow,… Read more »