As the presumed backup, Tyson Bagent appears to be fully committed to ushering in the Caleb Williams era for the Chicago Bears in 2024. The Bears’ backup quarterback for 2023, Bagent, confirmed in an interview with NBC Sports Chicago on May 3 that Williams is a “superstar” athlete. In order for Williams to “be the greatest resource that he can possibly be for the Bears,” he also reiterated that part of his role, in his opinion, is to assist the rookie in acclimating to the NFL.
“It is very exciting because, as far as I can tell, a lot of people are aware that he is a superstar athlete,” Bagent remarked on Friday on “Football Night in Chicago” with David Haugh. “But aside from that, I think I’m just trying to keep things as normal as I can and recognize that he’s just a regular person like everyone else.” He will experience both wonderful and negative things, as well as everything in between. Therefore, I hope to provide an additional pair of eyes for him in order to maximize his potential as a resource for the Bears.”
Following the offseason losses of Nathan Peterman (signed with New Orleans) and Justin Fields (traded to Pittsburgh), Bagent is the highest returning quarterback from the Bears’ 2023 roster. Despite all odds, he signed on as an undrafted rookie free agency last year and eventually took Fields’ primary backup role. Without a doubt, though, Williams—the first overall selection in the 2024 draft—has emerged as the Bears’ primary priority, and Bagent appears to be aware of this.
Bagent, Tyson desires to serve as a “Resource to Everybody”
Bagent is to be commended for his modesty. Once the Bears utilized the first pick in the draft to acquire a new franchise quarterback, he might have stated his wish to play elsewhere after exceeding expectations in 2023. As an alternative, he is prioritizing the Bears and supporting his new teammate while still placing a strong emphasis on his personal development.
“I think I can give the scout team’s defense a good look,” Bagent stated. “I believe I can provide Caleb with a valuable pair of eyes as someone who at least possesses some experience on the field. I can share with him any knowledge and insight I have gained from last year. After that, I just need to keep working as hard as I can and focus on the important things first.” Just keep my eyes on the playbook so I can help everyone.
In his limited appearance in 2023, Bagent demonstrated glimpses of his potential as an NFL backup; nevertheless, going into his sophomore season, he needs to keep honing his accuracy and decision-making skills. Although he completed a respectable 65.7% of his passes and amassed nearly 1,000 all-purpose yards in five games, he also committed eight turnovers (six interceptions) and had trouble completing medium-distance throws (13 of 24). Bagent’s runway will be shorter in 2024, but the Bears can still make it work.
Might the Bears Sign a New Backup QB Before the Season?
Let’s imagine that after training camp, the Bears are unsatisfied with Bagent’s level of development as their backup quarterback. What choices would they have in 2024 when it comes to selecting a backup to sit behind Williams?
As of this moment in the 2024 offseason, Ryan Tannehill is by far the best quarterback available. With his expertise, he may be a great mentor to Williams throughout his debut campaign. But Tannehill is not going to find himself in Chicago if he wants a chance to contend for a starting job once more. The two most likely candidates, if Tannehill is unavailable, are Jacob Eason and Blaine Gabbert, neither of whom is noticeably superior to Bagent behind Williams. To put it another way, Bagent should be QB2 unless he wastes his opportunities.
