Chicago Bears Training Camp 2024: Is Tyson Bagent ready to take over as QB2?

As the Chicago Bears start training camp one big question is who backs up Caleb Williams. With a lot of hope riding on this season, is Tyson Bagent ready to step up, in case he is needed?

The Chicago Bears rookies have arrived at training camp. They are doing their thing waiting until the veterans report in two days. Once they arrive, things will get serious. Once training camp begins, all the moves made this offseason go to the side. We will all see how those moves materialize.

Nearly everyone is giving Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles his flowers for what he has done from the moment he came to town. He had a big job to do, inheriting an old team with inflated contracts and a lack of talent. Additionally, all of the losing atmosphere affected the morale at Halas Hall.

Poles has made many moves to change that losing atmosphere. He tore everything down. Now, with some savvy moves and some stroke of luck, he has a young, athletic roster hungry to reward the fans with a winning team.

Poles did make many moves to put the team on the brink of something special. There are still other moves to be made. Take, for example, the edge rusher. It has been discussed ad nauseam about the need for another edge rusher. Many people thought Poles would use his second top-ten pick on one but it did not happen.

While that position is grabbing all of the attention, there is another one that might be of concern. Everyone knows that Caleb Williams is the quarterback who will lead this new-look offense. The offense’s success rides on his shoulders and his golden arm.

What would happen if something were to happen to Williams?

The Chicago Bears have Tyson Bagent as the QB2. Some feel there is a battle for that spot between Bagent and Brett Rypien. However, there is a lot on the line this season. Poles’ first two seasons were to set the foundation of the team. The rebuild is in another phase now, though.

Poles has talked about Year 3 being an important step. That is when the team shows that wins and losses are important again. In the first two years, the priority is to take steps forward in preparation for greatness. The Bears had three wins in 2022. Last season they took a step up and won seven games.

Now the Chicago Bears are in a position to challenge for a playoff spot. Should something happen to Williams, the Bears need to feel that QB2 can step in and not have everything fall apart. Of course, the backup won’t be as good as the starter. However, the team needs someone who can be stable and not lose it completely when the pressure is on.

Can Bagent be that guy? There are pros and cons to having him. Bagent is an excellent game manager. He is an extremely smart player with a high football IQ. He will not try to do more than he can do. He will play within the offense. That has been his modus operandi throughout his college career and mostly in the four games he started last season.

Bagent went 2-2 in the games he played in 2023. He took what defenses gave him, went through his progressions, and did a good job of finding the open receiver.

There are some negatives, however. While Bagent looks for easy and smart plays, he is limited. He has trouble throwing the deep ball. When he came in relief of Fields against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 6, Bagent had the opportunity to make a game-winning throw.

Bagent had D.J. Moore open in the end zone late with the game on the line. However, he severely underthrew him. The ball was intercepted and the Vikings came away with the victory. In the next two weeks, against the Los Angeles Chargers and New Orleans Saints, those teams practically dared Bagent to beat them deep.

Both teams crowded the short and medium field. They left the deep ball free. Without another option, he took the deep shots. As a result, he threw five interceptions. Additionally, when he took off, he fumbled twice, losing one of them. It was especially frustrating in the Saints game. The defense did all it could to keep the game close.

The defense kept making plays, constantly stopping the Saints. They held New Orleans to 300 yards of total offense. However, every time the defense made a big stop, Tyson Bagent and the offense just gave the ball right back.

The new Chicago Bears offense has speedsters and great route-runners. The deep ball will be essential for success. The quarterback needs to hit receivers deep consistently. Without that, a big part of the offense will be missing.

Will Bagent have competition other than Rypien?

Depending on what happens during training camp, Poles and the Chicago Bears might need to consider another option. Some good free-agent quarterbacks can be targeted. One such player is Ryan Tannehill.

Aaron Leming of the Windy City Gridiron wrote about this. He mentioned the importance of having a quality backup at quarterback. Additionally, he would not rule out Tannehill or someone else coming in to take QB2 duties.

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