Undrafted Bagent Impresses Bears, But P.J. Walker’s Spot Is Secure

Tyson Bagent, an undrafted quarterback from Division II Shepherd University, is making a push to be the Chicago Bears’ backup quarterback. But that doesn’t mean he is a threat to former Carolina Panthers’ quarterback P.J. Walker, who was signed to play behind Justin Fields.

Ryan Poles, who replaced Ryan Pace as general manager after the 2021 season, is taking a different approach toward paying for insurance pieces behind his primary quarterback. Walker signed a two-year, $4.15 million contract, which is far less than Pace paid the backups to Jay Cutler and Mitchell Trubisky.

While Fields started 10 games as a rookie in ’21, Pace had both Nick Foles ($6.67 million) and Andy Dalton ($5 million) on the roster. He acquired Foles in a trade as a hedge against Trubisky’s stalled development before the 2020 season.

Poles was satisfied with Trevor Siemian as Fields’ top backup last season. He signed the journeyman to a two-year, $4 million contract but then released him after the season, saving $2 million.

Walker’s contract is similarly structured. He received a $1 million signing bonus along with a $1,010,000 salary for his first season, with the second season non-guaranteed. The Bears would be liable only for a $500,000 dead cap hit if they felt they no longer needed Walker.

The Bears also currently have veteran quarterback Nathan Peterman in camp. He agreed to a one-year, $1,232,500 deal that includes no guarantee beyond the $152,500 signing bonus.

Peterman is looking like the odd man out in the quarterback mix. Bagent, who worked under Bears’ offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, at the Senior Bowl has shown remarkable poise in the first two preseason games. That’s surprising given he was undrafted but perhaps not considering he threw for an NCAA career record 159 touchdowns and only 48 interceptions in four years as a starter.

Bagent has gone 13-for-15 for 113 yards in the two quarters he has played. He scrambled for a touchdown to cap a 92-yard drive in the second quarter at Indianapolis on Saturday.

“I’d really like to make them as comfortable as possible with the thought of me in the game,” Bagent said. “Just really have them understand that any play that needs to be run, I at least know how to run it. Every play is not going to be perfect. But I know how to run every play in the playbook.”

Walker, like Fields, has had limited playing opportunities in the pre-season. He started seven games for Carolina over the last three seasons after a strong showing with the XFL’s Houston Roughnecks in 2020.

Coach Matt Eberflus says it is possible for Bagent to be dressed as Fields’ backup for the Sept. 10 opener against Green Bay.

“I think everything’s open right now,” Eberflus said after the 20-17 loss to the Colts. “I really do.”

The Bears value the 28-year-old Walker as both a mentor for Fields and a depth option. They may eventually have a decision to make on whether to trust Bagent enough to make him the backup to Fields but that should not impact Walker’s spot on the roster. There’s room enough for all three of those quarterbacks, and no financial advantage to gain by cutting Walker.