The Chicago Bears may be about to hand Tyson Bagent the kind of opportunity that can change a quarterback’s standing overnight. It might also do the opposite.
Earlier this offseason, Chicago was willing to listen if teams wanted to call about Bagent. Nothing came of it, but the fact that the Bears were open to those conversations said plenty about how they viewed him. Now, with Caleb Williams hurt and Bagent expected to start, the discussion has shifted from his trade value to what kind of quarterback he actually is.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton recently floated a move that would send Mason Rudolph from the Pittsburgh Steelers to Chicago, and he made the case that Rudolph would be an upgrade over Bagent. Moton pointed to Rudolph’s run late in the 2023 season, when he helped Pittsburgh go 3-0, reach the playoffs, and reassert himself as a steady backup and occasional fill-in starter.
Rudolph’s résumé is the more established one. He has 19 career NFL starts and a 9-9-1 record. He’s completed 64% of his passes, with a 4.1% touchdown rate and a 3% interception rate, along with a 5.5 adjusted net yards per attempt mark for his career.
Bagent’s numbers are solid enough to explain why the Bears have some confidence in him, but not quite enough to make him look like a clear-cut answer. In four career starts, he is 2-2.
He has completed 66% of his passes, but his touchdown rate sits at 1.9%, while his interception rate is 3.8%. His adjusted net yards per attempt is 4.4.
That’s the heart of the comparison: Rudolph has been more productive in the areas that usually matter most. He has thrown more touchdowns, picked off fewer passes, and generally moved the offense more efficiently than Bagent has.
That doesn’t mean Chicago is going to go shopping for another quarterback. The Bears are expected to give Bagent his shot. But the national view of him, and the Rudolph comparison in particular, should take some of the shine off the idea that he is already a potential long-term answer or a hot trade commodity.
Some Bears fans entered the season seeing Bagent as one of the better backup quarterbacks in the league and maybe even a name that could turn into a starter somewhere else. That’s not how the market looks right now. The Steelers, after all, are in a position to move Rudolph because they have both Drew Allar and Will Howard.
For Bagent, the path to real starter interest is clear enough: he would have to play exceptionally well. Anything less, and the league may continue to view him the way this comparison suggests - useful, capable, but not especially different from a Mason Rudolph-type quarterback.
The Bears can hope Bagent makes the most of the chance. They just probably shouldn’t expect a straight-line rise.
In Other News...
Bears Fans Have Every Right To Be Frustrated By Gervon Dexter Decision
The Bears already had one of the more unsettled interior defensive lines in the league, and trading Gervon Dexter Sr. only sharpened the criticism around how theyre managing that group. Dexter was dealt to the Atlanta Falcons for Clark Phillips and a draft pick, a move that now looks even harder to justify with the way he has started this season. Through two games, Dexter has been active in the pass rush, showing the kind of disruption Chicago has been trying to manufacture inside.
What makes the decision sting is the contrast with the Bears own production up front. Dexter has already logged more pressure than Chicagos entire interior defensive line, a troubling sign for a unit that needs reliable push to help the rest of the defense. It also raises the obvious question of whether the Bears were too quick to prioritize a contract for Grady Jarrett over keeping Dexter in the fold, especially with the player they moved now looking like the more productive interior force. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Already Had To Reverse One Roster Gamble
Special teams has a way of making roster questions feel bigger than they look on paper, and the Bears had to answer one of theirs quickly. Chicago signed long snapper Scott Daly to the active roster and waived rookie Beau Gardner, a change that brings back a familiar face to a part of the team that needs steady hands and clean operation.
Daly handled the job for Chicago in the 2024 and 2025 seasons before moving on to brief stops with the Buccaneers, Packers and Saints. Bringing him back is a clear bet on veteran stability, and it also suggests the Bears were not willing to let the long-snapping situation linger after trying the younger option. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Williams Just Sparked A Bears Debate He Did Not Need
Caleb Williams has already spent his first weeks in Chicago trying to navigate the usual rookie-quarterback spotlight, and the latest conversation around him has nothing to do with arm talent or playbook progress. After a minor hamstring injury during a Week 2 game, Williams was criticized by Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy for the way he reacted on the sideline, turning what should have been a routine health update into another public Bears talking point.
Williams answered by reposting a tweet calling Portnoy soft, bringing an old college-related incident back into the mix and only widening the argument. Portnoy denied personally having anyone arrested and kept mocking both the injury and Williams' reaction, leaving the Bears with a distraction they could have done without and a fresh reminder of how quickly every Caleb Williams moment can become a referendum. [Read more 🡒]