The Chicago Bears did a great job spreading their resources around this off-season to upgrade almost every position group on the roster. Wide receiver is miles better. The offensive line is deeper. Their secondary is more versatile. They’ve gotten more explosive at running back. GM Ryan Poles deserves credit for getting the roster to this point. However, there is still one area that continues getting attention for how surprisingly quite the Bears have been addressing it over the past four months. That is the backup quarterback spot.
Tyson Bagent returns after his surprising ascent as an undrafted rookie to become last year’s primary backup. He was joined by veteran Brett Rypien, who has limited playing experience during his career and wasn’t any good when he did play. Joe Tansey of Bleacher Report believes the Bears are taking a dangerous risk by riding with those two behind Caleb Williams.
“But after all the quarterback injuries across the NFL in 2023, the Bears have to at least be prepared for the worst-case scenario so they do not lose a year.
Tyson Bagent and Brett Rypien will fight for the backup role in training camp. Bagent had three touchdowns and six interceptions in backup duty in 2023. Rypien owns four touchdown passes and nine interceptions in the spot starts he’s had across the league.
Neither player inspires a ton of confidence at the moment, but again, the hope is whomever earns the backup job helps Williams improve instead of playing.”
The NFL moved to a 16-game season in 1978. In the 46 years since then, a Bears quarterback has started every game only five times. Jay Cutler was the most recent. That was 15 years ago, in 2009. It seems like the backup quarterback will see action at some point every year.
They seem willing to continue exploring what Bagent can offer as the primary backup, with Rypien as the third-string guy. One can understand that, but it’s important to remember things have changed since last year. Namely, the Bears swapped offensive coordinators. Shane Waldron is the man in charge now, replacing Luke Getsy. The two men are not the same as schemers and play-callers, even if they may share some system inspirations. While Waldron could work to help Bagent adapt to his offense, one would think he’d like some insurance in case the second-year kid struggles to transition.
Some viable options are still available on the market that could at least provide some security. Ryan Tannehill is the most obvious. He’s a former Pro Bowler with playoff experience. A.J. McCarron had success as a backup in Cincinnati and has enjoyed a productive run in the UFL. Blaine Gabbert has also earned a reputation as a reliable #2 option for several teams. Any one of them would be an obvious upgrade over Rypien and keep Bagent on his toes. Something to keep in mind as camp draws closer.
