With Caleb Williams on the sideline, Bears backup QBs get their chance
CANTON, Ohio — Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent likes to feel at home. When he went to his hometown of Martinsburg, West Virginia, this winter to train, he couldn’t stand the thought of his parents and three younger siblings living down the street. So he bought himself a one-bedroom apartment with four bedrooms on the floor above him and moved his family in.
He seems to have found a home at Halas Hall. And now he might have company.
One year removed from being an undrafted free agent out of Division II Shepherd University, Bagent got the starter treatment during the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday night. With No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and other first-stringers being held out, Bagent played one series against the Texans, put a cap on and watched the rest of the game from the sideline.
That opened the door for third-stringer Brett Rypien to put on the best performance of the night. By the time he was done, a thunderstorm ended the game with 3:31 to play in the third quarter. The Bears prevailed 21-17.
Rypien was dominant in the four series he played, leading the Bears to three touchdowns and one three-and-out. His 20-yard pass to wide receiver Collin Johnson put the Bears on the board in the second quarter, and his nine-yard pass to Johnson gave them the lead in the third. In between, tight end Tommy Sweeney caught a 22-yard pass with 51 seconds left in the first half to cap a five-play, 58-second touchdown drive.
Rypien, who threw a game-winning touchdown in the Hall of Fame Game as a Broncos rookie five years ago, finished with the finest stat line of the night. He completed 11 of 15 passes for 166 yards, three touchdowns and a stunning 148.9 passer rating.
Bagent completed two of three passes for 16 yards and moved the Bears 37 yards on their first drive. On fourth-and-one at the Texans’ 37, Sweeney committed a false start, forcing the Bears to punt.
Rypien had more to prove than Bagent. But both could play an outsized role on a team with real playoff aspirations. The Bears know their season will only go as well as Williams can play. But history has proved that they’ll need help from inside their quarterback room.
It has never been more important to have a quality backup quarterback. Last year, 66 quarterbacks started a game. The year before, 68 did.
In a small sample size, playing against Texans’ second- and third-stringers, the Bears appeared to have two capable backups.
Bagent was a reliable backup last season. He went 2-2 in four starts and left general manager Ryan Poles convinced that he could lead the team to victory if asked to pinch-hit.
Poles decided not to sign an accomplished veteran second-stringer to mentor Williams this spring. Instead, he added Rypien, who had four starts to his name — most recently a blowout loss in November as a member of the Rams.
As opposed to last offseason, though, there might be room for three quarterbacks on the Bears’ 53-man roster: Bagent as the second-stringer and Rypien as the sounding board.
The Bears have admired Rypien’s veteran presence — at 28, he’s six years older than Williams and four years older than Bagent — since they signed him in March. His performance Thursday, though, will put even more pressure on the Bears to keep him on the 53-man roster. If they don’t, 31 NFL teams have film of Rypien marching the Bears to three touchdowns.