Chicago Bears: The Rise of Tyson Bagent and Why He's Making Headlines
The Chicago Bears have found themselves in the midst of a backup quarterback battle, but it's not affecting their QB1, Justin Fields, who remains firmly in the starter role.
Rather, the competition is between P.J. Walker, who has been struggling in the preseason, and rookie undrafted free agent Tyson Bagent, who has been shining. In the Bears' second preseason game, Walker completed only one pass for six yards, while Bagent completed nine out of 10 passes for 76 yards and rushed for a touchdown. The battle for the QB2 spot is heating up.
Bagent's impressive performance so far has been a pleasant surprise for the Bears. Chicago has long been a city that believes in the potential of the backup quarterback, likely due to a long history of lackluster starting QBs. The majority of the Bears fan base is solidly behind Fields, a dynamic quarterback who needs to work on releasing the ball more quickly.
However, Fields' style of play makes him susceptible to taking hits, and there's a good chance he won't be able to play every snap of the regular season. That's why the backup quarterback position is so crucial, and Walker's struggles have fans calling for Bagent to be promoted to QB2.
So, who exactly is Tyson Bagent? Bagent was a standout at Division II Shepherd University, where he completed over 1,400 passes for 17,034 yards and 159 touchdowns in five years. His touchdown passing record stands as an all-time college football achievement across all divisions. Bagent threw only 48 interceptions and won the Harlon Hill Trophy in 2021, the Division II equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.
Despite playing against Division II competition, Bagent faced some of the best teams in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, a strong D2 conference. He completed 80% or more of his passes in a three-game stretch last season and won two state titles in high school for Martinsburg High School in West Virginia. However, he was an unranked college recruit.
Bagent's father played baseball at Shepherd and is a former arm-wrestling champion.
Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy first took notice of Bagent at the Senior Bowl, where Getsy was head coaching a team that included Bagent. Bagent's draft profile praised his intermediate passing ability and quick release, but noted that he tended to stare down his targets, didn't progress through his reads, and had limited arm strength. He ran a respectable 4.79 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Bagent's undrafted status likely stems from his Division II competition level, despite his impressive tape.
The Bears have historically failed to bring in a developmental quarterback with true potential. Typically, teams look to Power-5 conferences for such prospects, but quarterbacks from outside these conferences can also be worthy of consideration if they've shown exceptional skill in college.
The Bears have previously drafted Nathan Enderle, David Fales, and Dan LeFevour, and signed Jordan Lynch as an undrafted free agent, but none of these players had the standout college careers that would make them worth considering as NFL backups.
Bagent's strong performance and impressive college stats make him an ideal developmental quarterback for the Bears.
| POLL | ||
21 AOUT | 71 ANSWERS Chicago Bears: The Rise of Tyson Bagent and Why He's Making Headlines WILL Tyson Bagent be the backup QB? | ||
| Yes | 57 | 80.3 % |
| No | 14 | 19.7 % |
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