The No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Justin Fields unquestionably has the talent to be a franchise quarterback. He even impressed last season on an otherwise awful 2022 Chicago Bears team, finishing in the top 10 in NFL MVP voting.
However, Fields has seemingly taken a step back in his third season. Like Mac Jones with the New England Patriots, Fields isn't putting the Bears in a position to win football games. The Bears were 1-5 coming into this weekend's game against the Las Vegas Raiders, but after Fields left early with a hand injury, Tyson Bagent stepped right in and gave Chicago one of their best performances of the season.
Bagent completed 21 of 29 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown, moving the chains and avoiding mistakes. The Bears supporting cast is admittedly limited, so Bagent did his job well to make sure Chicago could rely on the ground game and quick passes to slowly cut through the Raiders.
There is no way Bagent is anywhere near Fields' level in terms of talent. The 2023 undrafted free agent looks like a quality backup and did a great job of helping the Bears against the Raiders, and his strengths line up well with Fields' weaknesses.
Bears fans embrace Tyson Bagent with open arms
However, that hasn't stopped some Bears fans from proclaiming that Bagent is their new QB1. That shouldn't be the case, but a little competition for Fields wouldn't hurt. Fields hasn't been all bad this season with a QB Rating above 90, but given the Bears' record, it's fair to say more is expected from him. But that's the thing. When Fields does the checkdown game, it's disappointing. When Bagent does it, it's worthy of praise because of the difference in expectations between a first-rounder and UDFA.
Some of these Bears fans are seriously considering starting Bagent over Fields going forward, but hopefully Chicago is a little more measured with their third-year quarterback. Still, this big win over the Raiders with Bagent under center serves as notice to the former first-round pick. Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL.
