The Chicago Bears have the luxury of a backup quarterback in Tyson Bagent who could vie for starting jobs elsewhere in the league, though now might be the time to sell high in a preseason trade.
Bagent is an undrafted player on a $3 million contract who proved himself a viable backup to Justin Fields during his rookie campaign. However, the Bears are mid-process in an attempt to go from 7-10 last season to a playoff contender in 2024. Caleb Williams is the centerpiece of that transition, and as reasonably as Bagent performed in four starts last year (2-2), Chicago might be better off seeking a veteran — preferably with playoff experience — to backup its rookie QB.
Meanwhile, several teams face serious questions under center, including the Dallas Cowboys. Starter Dak Prescott was an MVP candidate in 2023 but came up short in the playoffs yet again and could make history on his next deal with a market value projection north of $55 million annually.
Prescott is under contract through 2024, and Dallas has yet to make significant headway on an extension for the 31-year-old. The Cowboys also face questions behind Prescott, with Cooper Rush as QB2 and Trey Lance at third-string.
Lance, a former No. 3 overall pick of the San Francisco 49ers for whom Dallas traded a fourth-round pick last summer, chucked 5 interceptions during the team’s 26-19 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, August 24.
Rush has been okay substituting for Prescott in the past, but his ceiling is well-established at a backup level after six years in the NFL and only six starts. If Lance doesn’t look like the future in Dallas, a similar investment of a fourth-round pick to Chicago in return for Bagent would serve as a reasonable insurance policy behind Prescott.
Tyson Bagent Has Legitimate Day 2 Draft Value in Trade Talks
GettyQuarterback Tyson Bagent of the Chicago Bears.
A fourth-round selection was also the trade collateral suggested by Ted Nguyen of The Athletic on August 19 in a deal that would send Bagent to the Las Vegas Raiders.
“Raiders should offer a [fourth-round pick] for Tyson Bagent because why not,” Nguyen wrote on X.
It is unlikely that Bagent has a viable chance to start in Chicago after the team drafted Williams. And as an undrafted player, flipping Bagent for a fourth-round pick represents a massive personnel win for the Bears.
For context, the team gave up a fourth-round pick to the Chargers this offseason to land wide receiver Keenan Allen, who is 32 years old but has also been a Pro Bowler in six of the past seven campaigns.
Brett Rypien, Other Veterans Could Serve as Caleb Williams’ Backup
GettyChicago Bears quarterback Brett Rypien.
Chicago can’t make a Bagent trade without a viable alternative mapped out behind Williams. That doesn’t mean, however, that the Bears need to add a bonafide veteran quarterback to the roster before floating Bagent to teams like the Cowboys or Raiders.
Veteran Brett Rypien has played well enough this preseason to start the year as QB2. The Bears also brought in undrafted QB Austin Reed, who they can stash on the practice squad.
Chicago could then assess who is available and how much of their more than $19 million in 2024 salary cap space (as of Sunday) they might be willing to invest in a failsafe behind Williams. Former Pro Bowler Ryan Tannehill remains a free agent and has a market value projection of $8 million.
However, the Bears could probably find a player of similar quality for less money, depending on how rosters shake out around the league ahead of the final cuts scheduled for the end of August.
