Update: The Bears re-signed Peterman to the 53-man roster on Thursday, making it unclear who will backup Justin Fields once again.
Tyson Bagent is set to become QB2 for the Chicago Bears. The team announced on Wednesday that they cut Nathan Peterman, who was Justin Fields’ primary backup for the first two games of the season.
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This does not mean Fields is in danger of losing the starting job, only that Bagent is continuing to develop at Bears practice and that he's earned the trust of the team to play if needed.
Bagent was an intriguing undrafted free agent from Shepherd University. While at college he put up ridiculous numbers, like 17,034 career passing yards and 159 passing touchdowns. It took time for Bagent to earn reps over the summer, since he was working behind both Walker and Peterman, but he shined in preseason action. Bagent didn't play much in the first preseason game, but he completed 4-5 passes for 35 yards. In the second game he was incredibly efficient again, and completed 9-10 passes for 76 yards. Bagent added a rushing touchdown, too. His production dipped a bit in the preseason finale- 7-14 for 43 yards and an interception- but he ran for another touchdown and proved he deserved a spot on the team's 53-man roster.
The Bears initially signed P.J. Walker to be QB2, but Walker failed to perform with any type of consistency through training camp and the team decided to release him before the regular season. The Bears may still bring back Peterman on the practice squad, too. The team loves the knowledge he brings in the quarterbacks room since 2023 marks his sixth season in the league. Peterman has used that experience to be a helpful conduit between the coaches and Fields.
Peterman did not appear in any games for the Bears this season, but played in three and started one last year. In those games he completed 14-25 passes for 139 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Somehow, Peterman’s release was fairly minor news compared to the rest of the day for the Bears. Things started before practice when the team announced starting left tackle Braxton Jones went on IR with a neck injury. Then, defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned to focus on his health and his family. Finally, we got the Peterman news. What’s next?
