LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Everyone inside Halas Hall will play a role in getting quarterback Tyson Bagent ready to make his first NFL start Sunday when the Bears face the Las Vegas Raiders at Soldier Field.
The onus will mainly fall on Bagent. That's a position the record-setting quarterback from Division II Shepherd finds comfort in. The preparation fuels his confidence which allows him to play his game on Sundays.
“I kind of, to an extent, put a burden on myself to get it known before I even allow myself to enjoy anything outside of this," Bagent told NBC Sports Chicago a few weeks ago about learning the weekly gameplan and his exhaustive studying. "Unless I want to be miserable, I usually get that stuff done Wednesday through Friday, so Saturday I can kind of just get my heart and soul ready to go out there on Sunday.”
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Head coach Matt Eberflus, offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, and quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko will carry the heavy load in making sure Bagent is ready for his first-career NFL start.
But Bagent will also have an important resource in injured starting quarterback Justin Fields. Fields is doubtful to play Sunday with a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand, but he's available for whatever Bagent needs as he prepares for the Raiders.
“I think the whole time I’ve been here, Justin’s been a huge leader by example," Bagent said Wednesday at Halas Hall. "So just kind of sitting back really out of the corner of my eye always seeing what he’s doing in every situation, whether that be in practice or in the game, pregame, walkthroughs – everything. Just kind of looking at him, seeing how he’s operating, seeing the tempo he’s operating with, knowing when you can sit back and take a breath and knowing when you have to be locked in – all those little things.
"And then since the finger injury, he’s done – everybody really has done – a great job kind of rallying behind me, letting me know that they believe in me. Him specifically, he told me anything I need, don’t hesitate to ask him. And I haven’t and I think that’s gonna serve the team well.”
Star wide receiver DJ Moore noted Wednesday that Fields is "upbeat" and has been helping Bagent prepare. Moore will also play a massive role in getting Bagent as ready as possible.
A quarterback shuffle is nothing new to Moore. The 26-year-old played with a rotating cast of signal-callers during his time in Carolina. He knows how to hit the ground running with a new guy behind center.
"Just get open faster," Moore said, smiling Wednesday. "Do what I been doing. Probably just talk to him about what I see on the sideline and see what he thinking and how we can execute and be on the same page.”
CHICAGO BEARS
The Bears' defense has spent the early part of the season facing Bagent on the scout team. But with the undrafted rookie now about to be thrown into the fire, they know they have to turn it up during the week to make sure he's comfortable being uncomfortable Sunday.
"For us, we got to push him," cornrerback Jaylon Johnson said after the Bears' loss to the Vikings about helping prepare Bagent. "We got to give him good looks. He was going against us on scout team, so I feel like he has seen good defenses and seen guys fly around and things like that. It's not anything different for him. He has played good defenses and good players. He just has to go out there on Sunday and execute."
There's a buzz around Halas Hall about what Bagent might do. Everyone in the Bears' locker room praised the rookie for his confidence and noted its infectious ability.
While everyone is waiting to see if a Hollywood story can unfold at Halas Hall, Bagent seems like he's almost moving in slow motion. He's unfazed by the moment he faces.
"I think coming from where I come from, I’ve pretty much beat every odd that there was for me," Bagent said. "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.”
He'll have the whole locker room behind him, Fields included, as he tries to keep the Bears' season from completely disintegrating.