The Chicago Bears aren’t sure when they will get quarterback Justin Fields back, but at least one expert thinks they should give Tyson Bagent a shot at the starting job while Fields is on the shelf.
Fields left Sunday’s game with a hand injury, and though X-rays were negative, head coach Matt Eberflus said the quarterback was unable to grip the ball, and will go for an MRI on Monday.
Bagent came into the game, and though the Bears did not win the contest, Alex Brown thinks that the quarterback did enough to warrant a longer look.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Speaking on NBC Sports Chicago’s “Football Aftershow,” Brown said that what he saw from Bagent during the game is enough to earn him another shot at starting for the Bears if Fields misses more time.
“He put the offense in a position to be successful. He will get the ball out quicker. He’ll help the offensive line. He understands where he’s going with the ball,” he said.
While saying that Bagent’s action in Sunday’s game was a “small sample size,” Brown said the team should explore what it has in the quarterback.
“You also have to take it with the caveat that he wasn’t taken with a first round pick,” he said. “Maybe a week into it, assuming Justin is out for a lengthy period of time, maybe he looks better. I think you need to look to see if he can do it.”
NFL
Bagent threw for 4,580 yards and 41 touchdowns in his final season at Shepherd, with 17,034 passing yards and 159 touchdown passes in his collegiate career.
He didn’t quite get off to that kind of start in his NFL career, throwing for 83 yards and an interception in the losing effort. He did rush for his first career touchdown to keep the Bears within shouting distance on the scoreboard.
The Bears will next play on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.