Easily the best story of the preseason for the Chicago Bears belongs to Tyson Bagent. This young man was a star for Division II Shepherd, rewriting the record books as a passer. That was enough to earn him an invitation to the Senior Bowl. However, it didn’t get him drafted. That may have been a blessing in disguise for the Bears. They exploited their connection to the quarterback from their time coaching him at said Senior Bowl to sign him as an undrafted free agent. Most didn’t think much of it at the time.
One can understand why. The team had just signed P.J. Walker a month before. Everybody felt he was the obvious choice to back up Justin Fields. As training camp progressed and the preseason began, though, things changed. Bagent played so well that GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus made the decision to cut Walker. The undrafted rookie is now the clear favorite for the backup job. While underrated talent is part of why this happened, it came down to how quickly Bagent digested the offense.
That comes from what is clearly a sharp mind. One strength he seems to have that not every QB does is instant play recollection. Take this example from his final appearance against Buffalo.
Tyson Bagent remembered every detail of the play.
He knew the look Buffalo gave him before the snap. The ball was supposed to go to the right side based on coverage. Unfortunately, he pulled the trigger too soon, not seeing Daurice Fountain getting knocked off his route. If he’d waited a tick longer, he’d have seen Nsimba Webster wide open in the flat. Based on how the play was unfolding, an accurate throw could’ve made that a touchdown.
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This isn’t something that surfaced recently. It was evident Tyson Bagent had a unique mind for the game during most of college. If you don’t believe it, here’s a clip from an interview with John Vogel. It shows the quarterback throwing his first pass of the 2022 season against Southern Connecticut State. So this was a play that happened on September 1st of last year. This interview took place in February earlier this year. Watch how much Bagent can recall from that play based only on seeing the alignments.
That sort of play recollection is something you see from the top starters in the NFL. There is no telling what Bagent will do in the months to come. Yet it’s undeniable he has the necessary brain power to handle this level. Put together with his mobility, arm strength, and accuracy? It’s getting easier to understand why he beat out Walker for the job.
