The Chicago Bears knew they wanted to find better depth at quarterback this off-season. It made sense. Justin Fields’ playing style opened him up to more hits. He’d missed time the year before. Finding a dependable reserve was a logical course of action. They thought they had it when they signed P.J. Walker as a free agent. However, they still wanted to add an injection of youth. Team scouts Jeff King and Tom Bradway pushed hard to sign Division II sensation Tyson Bagent following the draft. They got their wish. Everybody felt when he signed, they may have gotten an exciting development prospect who could be a long-term backup. At least one person thought they may have scored much more. How about the next Tony Romo?
That person was Jim Nagy. He is the director of the Senior Bowl down in Mobile, Alabama. Before that, he was a scout in Washington, New England, Kansas City, and Seattle. He won a Super Bowl title three times during that run, helping each of those organizations acquire some excellent players. Nagy scouted many quarterbacks in that time. He has a pretty strong idea of what separates good ones from backups or washouts. He told Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports that Tyson Bagent exhibits many of the same qualities Romo did.
Scouts and agents visited Shepherdstown to see the marvel. The Senior Bowl sent executive director Jim Nagy to campus to invite Bagent as the only Division II participant this year.
Nagy’s memory flashed back to another small-town quarterback who had earned four Pro Bowl berths after playing FCS, if not Division II, football.
“The guy he reminded me of was Tony Romo,” Nagy told Yahoo Sports. “His moxie, his mobility, his touch. I mean, there’s just a lot of things that reminded me of when Tony came out of Eastern Illinois.”
The similarities between Tony Romo and Bagent are striking.
Nagy is correct. The two share physical similarities. Both had good size and mobility. They were highly experienced in college but came from smaller schools. Romo went to FCS Eastern Illinois. He went undrafted in 2003 and, like Bagent, had multiple offers from teams. He ended up signing with the Dallas Cowboys for two reasons. One was a desire to play for head coach Bill Parcells. The other was because he felt their depth chart gave him a better chance to make the roster. As a result, he actually took less money. Bagent did the same thing when he chose to sign with Chicago.
Both were proven correct. Tony Romo made the roster that year and served as a backup for the next three seasons. Then, in 2006, Parcells finally chose to give him an opportunity to start. He went on to become the Cowboys’ all-time leading passer. Bagent didn’t have to wait that long to see playing time, starting his first game last week against Las Vegas. He looked sharp. People are already talking. Do the Bears have something? It’s way too early to say he can be another Romo.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Still, to hear a seasoned NFL scout make the comparison is fascinating.
