Conversations have shifted entirely to Justin Fields as the regular season looms for the Chicago Bears. This feels like a true make-or-break season for the third-year quarterback. While he showed tons of flashes as a runner in 2022, the new regime led by GM Ryan Poles stated clearly they expect progress from him as a passer this season. They’ve done everything in their power to help him. Nate Davis and Darnell Wright arrived to bolster the offensive line. D.J. Moore came in to give Fields a true #1 receiver. It’s his time to sink or swim. However, some in the NFL community are more intrigued by his new backup, Tyson Bagent.
Nobody saw this kid coming when the Bears signed him as undrafted free agent in May. All they saw was a likely camp body to help fill out the roster. They didn’t know several people high up in the organization had been relentlessly pounding the table for him for months. When Bagent put together an impressive preseason performance headlined by a surgical 92-yard drive against Indianapolis, it was evidence they might have found something far more than a typical third-string QB. An NFL scout admitted as much to Dan Pompei of The Athletic.
The rest of the NFL has started to see what Bears player personnel director Jeff King saw at Shepherd College — Tyson Bagent has something to him.
“They made the right call with him,” Scout C says of the undrafted rookie. “In the preseason, he showed moxie, savvy and ability to manipulate a pocket and extend plays. He doesn’t have the strongest arm, but he can get it out fast and he’s pretty accurate.”
This Tyson Bagent confirmation says one thing.
Bears fans aren’t crazy. This isn’t just another training camp hero they latch onto every year because they love underdog stories. What they saw from Bagent last month was legitimate NFL-caliber quarterback play. People will use the excuse that it was the preseason. He was playing backup. Yeah, well, he was beating them with backups, too. It wasn’t like Bagent was carving up those defenses with D.J. Moore or Cole Kmet. It was guys like Daurice Fountain and Stephen Carlson. The playing field was even, and the rookie was nearly perfect.
When actual NFL scouts admit you may have found something serious at quarterback, it’s time to sit up and take notice. Tyson Bagent may not have the national media hype behind him, but everybody who played against him in college agrees on one thing. He’s a star. He set several Division II passing records and got his Shepherd team to the national championship semifinals in back-to-back seasons. He’s got the stats and the quality big-game performances. His preseason was proof of what many already knew.
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He is a gamer. Where things go from here will be fascinating.
