Tag: Nathan Peterman

Saints advisor Jon Gruden is a big supporter of backup QB Nathan Peterman

It’s still unclear what role Jon Gruden has with the Saints as an advisor, consultant, or unpaid observer. But he’s a big Nathan Peterman fan:

It’s still unclear what role ex-Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has with the New Orleans Saints. His connection to the organization has been characterized as, at different times, “an observer rather than any official consultant” per NewOrleans.Football’s Mike Triplett and as a possible “addition to the Saints offensive staff rather than a replacement for offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael” according to Nola.com’s Jeff Duncan.

Obviously Gruden has not joined the staff in any official capacity (yet), but it stands to reason that he’s still around the team. He had dinner with general manager Mickey Loomis and other team brass when the Saints visited the Tampa Bay Buccaneers late last December, and he’s someone they regard highly despite the off-field distractions his presence creates.

What we do know about Gruden is that he’s a big Nathan Peterman fan. Gruden kept Peterman around as a backup quarterback on the Raiders for years, and now Peterman is competing for the same job in New Orleans. Back before the 2017 draft, when Gruden was still working in broadcasting for ESPN, he said of the then-Pitt Panthers quarterback:

“Peterman is ready to walk in and be a contributor from day one. He just looks like a pro quarterback — coming out of the huddle, running an offense with different formations, shifting, motioning, different patterns that other colleges don’t run.

Peterman will recognize route combinations and associate formations. Most importantly, he will be able to get in a huddle from day one and look at 10 grown men and tell them where to go and what to do and handle a versatile snap count.”

Clearly things didn’t work as Gruden anticipated once Peterman got on the field. No quarterback has thrown more interceptions (13) on fewer attempts (160) since he entered the league. Still, Gruden stood by his evaluation and chose to bring Peterman into the fold when he was coaching the Raiders a few years later.

“This Nate Peterman is growing on me,” Gruden told Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review Journal. “He’s athletic. I know he’s got some nightmare performances in the NFL, but when you watch the film you can see why. It’s not all his fault, but he’s got some talent, he’s got some athleticism, he’s got some experience.”

Gruden added: “He was an opening day starter for the Buffalo Bills last year. I take that very serious. He’s smart. He’s done a good job. He’s been consistent, and I think he’s starting to get his confidence back. We all need that.”

Now, just because Gruden likes a quarterback doesn’t mean the player is any good. Just look at the horrible draft picks he and Mike Mayock put together with the Raiders. It became a meme during Gruden’s ESPN tenure on Monday Night Football that he’d claim to have loved every player he could name. From Tom Brady to Alex Smith and Mike Glennon, anyone would get an enthusiastic, “Man, I love this guy.” Peterman has probably gotten the same treatment.

Still, it’s easy to connect the dots here. Gruden has been around the Saints as an organization for most of the last year. He’s a big fan of Peterman as a backup quarterback. And when the Saints needed someone cheap who wouldn’t threaten Derek Carr’s job security, Gruden may have put in a good word for the third-stringer. It would almost be more surprising if he hadn’t.

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Nathan Peterman threw a last-ditch Bears Hail Mary thanks to Tyson Bagent’s iffy arm strength

Tyson Bagent’s arm can’t be THAT weak, can it???

Sunday afternoon was a monumental day for Tyson Bagent and the Chicago Bears. A former Division II quarterback for the Shepherd Rams, the rookie undrafted free agent made his first NFL start in the absence of Justin Fields.

And for the most part, Bagent did his job! He didn’t jump off the page per se, but he got the ball out quickly, threw over 100 yards, and generally didn’t let Maxx Crosby ruin Chicago’s game plan as its ground offense took over the proceedings. With the one-win Bears now fighting for their season basically every week, that’s all they need for the time being — a game manager who doesn’t lose the game. But a late first-half sequence demonstrated why there’s probably a ceiling on Bagent’s NFL future.

As Chicago looked to add to a 14-3 lead on the final play, it subbed Bagent out for Nathan Peterman on a Hail Mary attempt. Why?

Because Bagent’s arm probably isn’t strong enough to launch a ball that deep and that high. But it’s still Nathan Peterman — owner of an atrocious career 8.1 interception percentage — so you can guess how the Hail Mary went:

None of this is to diminish how well Bagent has played relative to expectations. Once again, he’s a Division II quarterback starting his first professional football game against some of the finest athletes in the world. But if he can’t throw a Hail Mary or, you know, put some spice on his passes, it’s pretty evident his career ceiling is more of a backup than someone who’s going to change a franchise.

No one should ever be substituting you for Nathan Peterman in any respect if you’re good enough to be a full-time starter.

Bears place RB Khalil Herbert, WR Equanimeous St. Brown on injured reserve

The Bears without both players for a minimum of four games.

The Chicago Bears will be without a couple of their offensive weapons for the foreseeable future. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Bears have placed running back Khalil Herbert and wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown on injured reserve. The team also re-signed quarterback Nathan Peterman to the active roster.

Herbert suffered a scary-looking ankle injury in the Bears’ 40-20 win against the Washington Commanders and had not practiced all week. The expectation was that he would miss some time, and now that has become official. Herbert has 51 carries for 272 yards and 10 receptions for 83 yards, and one touchdown for the season.

St. Brown, meanwhile, also sat out of practice this week with a hamstring injury. He was seeing extended playing time following the Chase Claypool fallout over the last few weeks and figured to factor in even more following his official departure. St. Brown has one catch for 21 yards for the year.

Both players will miss a minimum of four games and are eligible to return for the Bears’ matchup against the Carolina Panthers in Week 10 on Thursday Night Football.

Bears announce several roster moves, including Kyler Gordon designated to return from IR

The Bears designated CB Kyler Gordon and C Doug Kramer to return from IR and officially signed RB Darrynton Evans to the active roster.

The long weekend for the Chicago Bears has come and gone, and now it’s back to business as usual, which includes a flurry of roster moves as they prepare for a Week 6 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. On Monday, the Bears announced they signed running back Darrynton Evans to the active roster as well as quarterback Nathan Peterman to the practice squad. The Bears are also welcoming back a few players from injury, as they designated cornerback Kyler Gordon and center Doug Kramer to return from injured reserve.

Evans spent the 2022 season with the Bears, primarily on their practice squad. He played in six games, rushing 14 times for 64 yards. He bounced around the league during the 2023 offseason, most notably with the Buffalo Bills, where he made a statement against the Bears in the final preseason game with nine carries for 65 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown. Evans was most recently on the Miami Dolphins practice squad before coming to the Bears.

The signing of Evans is in response to the ankle injury running back Khalil Herbert suffered during last Thursday’s 40-20 win against the Washington Commanders. Herbert is expected to miss multiple weeks with the injury.

While the Bears are preparing to be without Herbert for the next few weeks, they could be getting a key player back in the fold. Gordon is set to return to practice this week after spending the last four weeks on injured reserve. He suffered a broken hand in the team’s Week 1 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Gordon had one tackle and one pass defensed before exiting the game.

Kramer, meanwhile, is also returning to practice after missing the first five weeks of the season. The second-year center was injured in the team’s final preseason game and has yet to play in a regular-season game. Both players will need to be activated within 21 days, or they will revert back to injured reserve.

Bears re-sign QB Nathan Peterman

The veteran quarterback returns to the Bears less than 24 hours after he was released.

Quarterback Nathan Peterman barely made it out of Lake Forest before the Chicago Bears brought him back. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Peterman was re-signed to the roster on Thursday morning. This comes less than 24 hours after he was released on one of the wildest days at Halas Hall in recent memory.

It’s unclear as of now if Peterman will continue to serve as the primary backup behind Justin Fields. For a brief moment, it appeared undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent would be elevated to the position, but now that’s up in the air.

The Bears are preparing to take on the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday at 3:25 p.m. CT.

Recapping a wacky Wednesday for the Bears at Halas Hall

Here’s everything that happened with the Bears on a crazy Wednesday at Halas Hall.

It was quite an eventful day for the Chicago Bears at Halas Hall on Wednesday, where a season’s worth of headlines seemed to cram itself into one week.

Whether it was roster moves, a surprise resignation or Justin Fields making headlines for all the wrong reasons, the Bears were the focus of the NFL world on Wednesday. It was like watching a dumpster fire — you simply couldn’t look away, waiting for the next thing to happen.

In case you missed the action, here’s a breakdown of everything that went down at Halas Hall on an eventful Wednesday:

Bear Necessities: What the heck happened at Halas Hall on Wednesday?

It was an eventful day for the Bears at Halas Hall yesterday. We recap Wednesday’s headlines.

This is our online morning newsletter, Bear Necessities. Subscribe to get the latest Bears news delivered to your mailbox every day.

What’s the latest with the Chicago Bears?

It was quite an eventful day at Halas Hall on Wednesday, which featured some big news and noteworthy moves. Alan Williams resigned as Bears defensive coordinator, Justin Fields took a jab at the coaches, left tackle Braxton Jones landed on injured reserve and the team released Nathan Peterman. All on Ryan Poles’ birthday, mind you.

Here’s a look at the most recent and relevant Bears stories for the morning of Sept. 21.

Bears release QB Nathan Peterman

With Nathan Peterman gone, Tyson Bagent is now QB2 for the Bears.

The Chicago Bears have released veteran quarterback Nathan Peterman, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.

The news comes after what’s been one of the busiest days in recent memory at Halas Hall, where Justin Fields took a subtle shot at the coaches, Braxton Jones was placed on injured reserve, and defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned.

Peterman first joined the Bears in 2022 as their third-string quarterback. He saw action late in the year and started the final game of the regular season, losing 29-13. Peterman went 11-of-19 for 114 yards and a touchdown in his lone start. He was re-signed this offseason, and despite being released during roster cutdowns, he was signed back to be QB2 behind Fields.

With Peterman now gone, undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent moves officially into the backup role. Bagent was the star of the preseason for the Bears and made an unlikely push onto the active roster following his strong play.

 

Bears ‘leaning’ toward Nathan Peterman as backup QB in Week 1

While the Bears haven’t made a definitive decision about QB2, it sounds like Nathan Peterman will be Justin Fields’ backup in Week 1.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up for their Week 1 opener against the Green Bay Packers, where there’s still a question mark at quarterback…back quarterback, that is.

While Justin Fields is gearing up for his third NFL season, there’s a question about whether it’ll be rookie Tyson Bagent or veteran Nathan Peterman backing him up on Sunday.

The Bears have remained mum about the answer for the last couple of weeks, but head coach Matt Eberflus indicated Wednesday that they’re “leaning” toward rolling with Peterman as QB2 this Sunday.

“That’s what we’re looking at right now,” Eberflus said. “We haven’t made a final decision, but that’s where we’re leaning to now for this first game. But we’ll see where it goes during the course of the week, and we certainly reserve the right to make any adjustments as we need to going forward.”

But even if Peterman is the backup in Week 1, that doesn’t rule out a scenario where Bagent can win the QB2 job at some point this season.

“I think that’s to be said for the whole football team,” Eberflus said. “I think we’re always looking at guys developing and improving during the course of the year, and that person could jump into a No. 2 role or could stay where he is. I think that’s with everybody for us.”

It’s not an indictment on Bagent, who was easily the most impressive quarterback behind Fields in the preseason. Right now, it simply sounds like Chicago wants to roll with a veteran behind Fields.

Bears haven’t made a decision about backup quarterback yet

The Bears need to make a decision about QB2 between Tyson Bagent and Nathan Peterman.

The Chicago Bears have a looming quarterback question — one that has nothing to do with starter Justin Fields. We still don’t know who Chicago’s backup quarterback is just over a week out from the season opener against the Green Bay Packers.

Undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent made the 53-man roster over veterans P.J. Walker and Nathan Peterman. But the team remained non-committal to Bagent as QB2 heading into the season.

Then the Bears re-signed Peterman to the active roster just two days after he was release as part of final cuts. Head coach Matt Eberflus is excited to have the veteran signal caller back.

“We’re sure glad to have him back,” Eberflus said. “He’s really good for that room. Him and Justin [Fields] learned the offense together, so-to-speak, so they’re speaking the same language, so they understand it really well. It’s good to have him in the room.”

With the Week 1 opener right around the corner, the Bears have yet to determine whether Bagent or Peterman will serve as Fields’ backup.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future with who’s going to be up for the game, who’s going to be the backup,” Eberflus said earlier this week. “We’ll decide that as we go.”

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