The Bears may have landed in the middle of a quarterback market they can actually exploit.
With the trade deadline less than a week away, Chicago suddenly has a name that could draw real interest: Tyson Bagent. And the timing couldn’t be much better for the Bears, because the Baltimore Ravens are scrambling after a wave of injuries at quarterback.
Lamar Jackson injured his thumb and is heading to the IR, while ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that backup Tyler Huntley's Week 1 injury is season-ending. That leaves Baltimore thin in a hurry, with undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano now projected to make his first career start in Week 9 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Fagnano is also dealing with an ankle injury he'll have to play through. Behind him are former Bears QB Austin Reed and Kedon Slovis.
That kind of depth chart makes the Ravens an obvious team to watch, and Bagent fits the situation neatly. One reason is familiarity: he already knows Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle from their time together in Chicago last year, when Doyle was the OC. That gives Bagent a chance to step in with some comfort in the playbook and terminology if Baltimore needs help fast.
His overall numbers don’t jump off the page, even if the on-field story has been a little more complicated. Bagent has completed over 66% of his passes and thrown for 1,326 yards, but he also has three touchdowns and nine interceptions. He is 2-3 as a starter in his career.
There’s also the fact that he isn’t coming in completely cold. Bagent started two games this year and went 1-1, completing 65.6% of his passes for 409 yards and three interceptions.
The real question is what Chicago can squeeze out of a desperate team. If a deal happens, it likely won’t come until Friday or Monday, since Baltimore plays Thursday and would probably want to get through that game before making a move. Chicago, meanwhile, would likely prefer to keep Bagent as the backup unless the Ravens are willing to make the offer strong enough to justify moving him now so he can get extra time to learn the offense and build chemistry.
Could a Day 2 pick actually be in play? That may depend on what happens Thursday night against the Jaguars.
If Baltimore wins but the offense looks rough, the Ravens could be pushed toward a third-round selection for Bagent. Anything less may be harder for Chicago to land.
At the very least, the Bears should be able to get a fourth-round selection. Ryan Poles could also try to add a 2028 fifth- or sixth-round pick if he wants two selections in the deal.
And that’s the leverage Chicago has here. The Bears don’t need to move Bagent, which gives Poles the upper hand. If Baltimore is willing to part with two draft picks or a Day 2 selection, Chicago can take it and call it a win.
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