Schrock: Tyson Bagent, Bears have ‘nothing to lose,' and that might be exactly what they need

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Tyson Bagent didn't break stride walking to the podium Wednesday at Halas Hall for the starting quarterback's weekly press conference. He stood tall and never wavered as he discussed the monumental moment that awaits him Sunday, where he is likely to make his first career NFL start when the Bears host the Las Vegas Raiders at Soldier Field.

Bagent is unfazed by what awaits him Sunday. The odds have been stacked against him long before he was a record-setting Division II quarterback at Shepherd University. That he has defied them to this point only allows him to operate with a freedom that should be foreign to an undrafted rookie quarterback about to take the biggest snaps of his life.

“I think my life has been planned out for me ahead of time," Bagent said Wednesday at Halas Hall. "I think everything that has happened and will happen was already set in stone to happen. And I think coming from where I come from, I’ve pretty much beat every odd that there was for me. So I’ve got nothing to lose. I’m going to go out there and fight with these guys to the death and try to stack up as many wins as a I can until we get Justin back.”

The chances of a kid from Martinsburg, West Virginia, becoming the starting quarterback for a charter franchise are infinitesimal. But there's no need to tell Tyson Bagent the odds. He has believed this was in the cards for him since he was a kid. With that vision in his mind, Bagent worked. He worked and worked and worked so that when it materialized, he wouldn't flinch.

"I always thought it was gonna happen," Bagent said. "Me and my dad really were the only ones that thought that this was gonna happen. After that, it was just figuring out how I could outwork everybody that maybe had more things than I did, had better facilities and all that stuff. It was really just trying to get it out of the mud, putting a lot of work in the shadow and just so I’d be ready for this week.”

Bagent talked for 10 minutes Wednesday. He spoke of how his fanatical approach to preparation fuels an unshakable self-confidence that has struck a chord with almost all his teammates. He said that when Justin Fields went down with a dislocated thumb during the second half against the Minnesota Vikings, he had a succinct message for the Bears coaching staff.

"I just kind of told them I know you guys have a lot of faith in me, but I want to let you know I know the whole call sheet, so don't be afraid to do your thing, call your plays, you know, don't hinder the offense just because I'm going in there because I've prepared for this all week," Bagent said.

If there were a direct correlation between winning the Wednesday press conference and winning on Sundays, the Bears would undoubtedly be headed for a 1-0 week.

There's something about Bagent.

The Bears have called it "moxie." Maybe it's the forever undefinable "it factor." An NFC scout told NBC Sports Chicago that Bagent is "the type of quarterback that makes good things happen."

Some quarterbacks just have a feeling that radiates off them. Maybe it comes from a confidence bred from preparation and faith. Maybe it's something else.

This isn't to say that Tyson Bagent will roll out Sunday, torch the Raiders, fix all the Bears' problems, and dethrone Brock Purdy as the NFL's latest quarterback Cinderella story.

The press conference win has zero correlation to the on-field performance. Given the Bears' myriad of issues, it's a good bet things won't go in that direction Sunday. He's an undrafted rookie out of Division II Shepherd. Yes, he's the NCAA's all-time touchdown leader for any division. You don't throw 159 touchdown passes, regardless of level, by luck. But there's a reason he went undrafted.

That same scout told NBC Sports Chicago Bagent has "a live arm, but not a big arm." There are some NFL throws that he can't make. There will be limitations.

Everything from NFL history to Bagent's unlikely rise points to the undrafted rookie being washed away by the gravity of the stage and talent he faces Sunday.

But it's undeniable that whatever Bagent has, his teammates feel it too.

"This past Sunday, you see what he can do almost getting us back to get the win," wide receiver DJ Moore said. "Look forward to having new energy and new juice from him coming in. He’s going to do whatever it takes to win.”

"He's smooth. He doesn't panic," running back Roschon Johnson said of Bagent during the preseason.

"He has confidence in himself," tight end Cole Kmet said. "You can feel that in the huddle."

The Brock Purdys, Kurt Warners, and Tom Bradys don't grow on trees. You're more likely to witness Halley's Comet in your lifetime than have your franchise stumble into a franchise quarterback that everyone overlooked.

And yet, Tyson Bagent has a chance Sunday to become the NFL equivalent of a celestial event.

Perhaps he'll fizzle. Maybe he'll shine.

Either way, enjoy the Tyson Bagent experience for however long it lasts. Maybe it's a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon. It could be the only NFL moment of Bagent's life.

But for once this season, the Bears have nothing to lose.

That, and Bagent's "new juice," might be exactly what they need.

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