Earlier this evening, I wrote about the possibility that the Baltimore Ravens might start calling other teams about possible quarterbacks for trade after losing both Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley to significant injuries on Sunday. Jackson might be done for the year with a thumb injury to his throwing hand. Huntley is dealing with turf toe, which could sideline him for a month or more. That leaves them with an undrafted rookie left on their roster, which is a death warrant for their season at 4-4. They need a solution, and the Chicago Bears may hold one in Tyson Bagent.
Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle has deep ties to the Bears from his time with them last season. He worked directly with Bagent and knows his capabilities. If anyone can step in to run the Ravens’ offense, which is similar to Ben Johnson’s, it would be the fourth-year backup. He has already started two games this year, going 1-1. Nobody would mistake him for a star in waiting, but he’s smart enough to understand how to manage games. According to Jason La Canfora of Sports Illustrated, the Ravens have already called about him.
The Ravens top pursuit is Bears back-up quarterback Tyson Bagent, according to multiple high-ranking NFL personnel execs. They have reached out to Chicago, but are in a desperate position, DeCosta already got fleeced trading a second-round pick for a concussed and suspect offensive lineman. Multiple league sources told me through the summer that the Bears were rebuffing all overtures for Bagent (who makes $4M this year and $4M next year), who they believe can be a valuable back-up in Ben Johnson’s system.
“Chicago doesn’t have to trade him,” one NFL GM told me. “They like him … Wonder how hard they squeeze DeCosta?”
The Bears are in a different position with Tyson Bagent than a few months ago.
There are two reasons for this. The first is that they saw him in live action for the first time in Johnson’s offense. It wasn’t overly impressive. While he did have stretches of solid play, he was too careless with the football at times and turned it over too often. This may have softened Johnson’s stance on keeping him around enough to entertain a trade idea.
Then you have the draft capital situation. Chicago just got done sending a massive package to the Tennessee Titans for All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. That included their 1st round pick and 4th round pick in 2027. This leaves them with only 5 next spring. One has to think general manager Ryan Poles would love to add another to that tally. Trading Tyson Bagent could be an unexpected way to do that.
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Obviously, the Bears aren’t getting a 1st round pick for him, but given the Ravens’ obvious desperation, they could squeeze a 3rd or 4th rounder out of the deal. That or perhaps Baltimore could flip a player the Bears like back in the deal. Tavius Robinson is a free agent next year. He has 3.5 sacks this season, and Chicago needs edge rush help.
The Bears will likely need to make a decision soon.
Baltimore’s next game is on Thursday night, November 5th, against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Will the Ravens try to force the issue before then? It depends on how much they trust third-string backup Joe Fagnano. If the answer is not very much, they may try to press the Bears for a deal before Monday Night Football. Getting them to agree won’t be easy. As stated above, Chicago has no reason to do this. They don’t need to dump his salary, and Bagent is not a locker room cancer.
That means the only way the Ravens can get this done is by making the Bears an offer they can’t refuse. Are they that desperate? One important thing to note is Baltimore likely has some compensatory picks coming their way this offseason. Current projections have it at four. That may convince them they can afford to be aggressive for Bagent without completely tapping out their pick reserves.
