Tyson Bagent is a valuable replacement for Caleb Williams of the Bears

Caleb Williams isn’t the only influential young quarterback on the Bears’ roster. Tyson Bagent came to Chicago before him, started four games last year, and is a key part of the roster assembled by Ryan Poles.

Looking back a year later, it’s surprising that no one selected Bagent in the 2023 draft. He chose the Bears over other interested teams and made such a strong impression that the Bears released supposed backup PJ Walker.

To his credit, Poles sold the small-college star a chance to establish himself, and that opportunity undoubtedly went beyond the $25,000 signing bonus that came with his three-year, $2.72 million, non-guaranteed contract.

Bagent was just as adept in the NFL as he was at Shepherd, a top Division II team in West Virginia. In 53 games, he managed 17,034 yards and 159 passing touchdowns.

He established himself as Justin Fields’ backup a year ago and helped the Bears to a 2-2 record in his appearances. He was slated to fill that role behind Williams next season.

It seemed he had competition for his job when veteran Brett
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Rypien threw three touchdown passes in the first game against Houston. But Rypien and undrafted rookie Austin Reed were released on Tuesday. One of them could be signed to the practice squad, as Williams and Bagent are the only quarterbacks currently under contract.

Bagent played well in the preseason, but told Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune that he was confident of his spot as Williams’ backup.

“I don’t think it’s ever been any different,” Bagent said. “He threw three touchdown passes in the Hall of Fame game. (I) tried not to think about it and take it day by day. Everything was great.”

Bagent played in the final three games of the Bears’ 4-0 preseason, completing 17 of 25 passes for two touchdowns without throwing a single interception. His quarterback rating of 119.9 would have led the league had he played enough to qualify for the all-time list.

While Williams’ four-year, $39.5 million contract set a new standard for rookies, Bagent’s presence has removed the temptation to pay big money to a backup quarterback. Poles’ predecessor, Ryan Pace, had done that with Fields and Mitchell Trubisky as starting quarterbacks, and many other teams still do.

After Tuesday’s league-wide roster cuts, there are six backup quarterbacks making at least $5 million and 18 making $2 million or more. Two teams, Atlanta (Taylor Heinicke and Michael Penix Jr.) and Denver (Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson), have two backup quarterbacks in that category.

Rypien’s $1.125 million contract was non-guaranteed. According to Spotrac, the Bears currently have $8,102,616 on the books. They rank 29th in the league in quarterback spending, trailing Cleveland ($67.7 million), Dallas ($63.3 million) and the New York Giants ($53.8 million).

Bagent will likely keep his role through next season, but told Biggs he’s preparing for a chance as an NFL starter, a dream that seems much more realistic now that he’s firmly established with the Bears.