Don’t look now, but the Chicago Bears have a quarterback controversy on their hands. A backup quarterback controversy, that is.
Undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent shined in his second preseason action against the Indianapolis Colts, where he ignited a spark on offense for his lone series in the second quarter. Bagent led an efficient 17-play, 92-yard scoring drive, completing 7-of-8 passes for 61 yards with a 98.4 passer rating, capping the drive with a 2-yard rushing touchdown.
That was in relief of P.J. Walker, who led an uninspired couple of series that both resulted in punts. Walker completed 1-of-4 passes for 6 yards and was sacked twice.
Head coach Matt Eberflus praised Bagent’s poise, accuracy, delivery, timing and decision making, and it certainly sounds like the Bears have a legitimate QB2 battle on their hands heading into the final preseason game.
“I think everything’s open right now. I really do,” Eberflus said after the game. “You never put a ceiling on any player. You’ll see guys, they get into a game and they start rising up.”
But can Eberflus see Bagent beating out both Walker and Nathan Peterman for that backup role behind Justin Fields?
“Everything’s open right now,” Eberflus said. “Everybody can look at the roster and see who’s in a competition. Those are all going to be open. If you close your mind off to that, then you might be missing on something. So you have to let it play itself out.”
Saturday’s game wasn’t a fluke. It’s not as if it was one game where Walker struggled and Bagent flashed. Ask anyone who’s been at training camp and they’ll tell you this has been happening all summer. Everyone’s just finally getting to see it happen.
Whether or not Bagent actually winds up making the 53-man roster or being QB2 remains to be seen. But we’ll soon learn the answer heading into an interesting preseason finale.
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