The Chicago Bears' top addition of the 2024 NFL offseason was Caleb Williams, the new starting quarterback and face of the franchise after going No. 1 out of USC in April's draft. Except Williams wasn't in uniform to kick off Chicago's preseason Thursday, with head coach Matt Eberflus opting to rest key starters against the Houston Texans in Canton, Ohio. Filling in under center: None other than Tyson Bagent.
Who is Bagent, exactly? How did he become the top backup to the top rookie quarterback of this season? And why is he already something of a fan favorite in Windy City? Here are some key facts:
A college football legend
If you thought Williams was highly esteemed coming out of USC, drawing the Bears' top investment this spring, wait until you get a load of Bagent: With 159 touchdown passes in his college career, the former Shepherd University star owns the NCAA's all-time record for career scoring strikes. Granted, that was in Division II, but Bagent was also a stone-cold winner in his developmental years: He went 26-4 in his final two years at Shepherd after also guiding back-to-back state championships in high school.
Undrafted rookie underdog
Despite his college accolades, Bagent went unselected in the 2023 NFL Draft, signing with the Bears as a rookie free agent. A strong first offseason earned him a spot on Chicago's final roster; he was so impressive to coaches, in fact, that the Bears released veteran backup P.J. Walker and instead installed Bagent as the top backup to then-starter Justin Fields within the opening weeks of the 2023 season.
A different breed off the field
Bagent has an expressive and unusually confident personality considering his young standing in the NFL. Tyler Haines, his former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, told CBS Sports in 2023 that Bagent was "different than anybody" he'd ever coached, recounting stories of the West Virginia native "walking on his hands almost 100 yards," and creating his own unofficial cold tub in the Potomac River. "[He's] going to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in the years to come," Haines insisted. "He just is."
Already experienced as an NFL starter
With Fields battling injuries in 2023, Bagent didn't have to wait long to get his first taste of pro action, starting four different games as an undrafted rookie. While turnovers became an issue, with Bagent totaling six interceptions in five appearances, he completed 65.7% of his passes, totaling five touchdowns and gaining more than 100 yards as a scrambler. The Bears went 2-2 with Bagent under center, enabling him to keep the No. 2 job going into 2024.