The Chicago Bears have all the faith an organization can in a backup when it comes to Tyson Bagent, but the former undrafted free agent has not rewarded their confidence.
Bagent attempted fewer than 5 yards per attempt (4.1 YPA through three frames) and continued to be late on some throws and high on others, resulting in a pair of crippling interceptions before the clock started on the fourth quarter.
It only got worse.
Bagent finished the day 87 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions 12-for-21 passing (57.1%) before the head coach Ben Johnson pulled him in favor of Case Keenum.
Keenum did not fare much better, but the implications of the switch are more important moving forward. Even when Caleb Williams returns to action–which could be as soon as Week 6 against the Atlanta Falcons–who his backup is took on even greater importance this year.
Bears Create QB Quandary in Blowout Loss to Packers
Bears Bench Tyson Bagent for Case Keenum in Loss to Packers
Keenum’s final line was 110 yards on 11-for-19 passing (57.8%) with 0 touchdowns and 1 interception.
Adding to the significance of Johnson’s decision to roll with Bagent over Keenum–citing work in practice and during the offseason as his reasoning–it not just that the younger QB had several turnover-worthy plays in Week 4 against the New York Jets. But Johnson benched D’Andre Swift for his second fumble of the season in Week 4.
Johnson said postgame that the Bears would evaluate their QB depth chart, just as they do everything after every game.
The easy answer is that the Bears’ backups have done what you hope for: winning most of their games in place of the starter.
At the same time, the Bears have now fallen to 3-2 on the season, and–more importantly–0-2 in the NFC North with the Minnesota Vikings moving to 5-0 on the season. Johnson will have to answer for decisions that he made during the contest.
His most egregious–the word he used for Swift’s fumble–may have been starting Bagent over Keenum.
Getting Williams back will allow the Bears to move on from this loss quicker than it might seem given the final score, but who his backup is will be a question Johnson faces.
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