CHICAGO — There is a common thread among successful people, regardless of their field: an unwavering confidence rooted in an inner belief that their process prepares them to excel in high-pressure situations.
Say what you want about Tyson Bagent. Yes, he’s an undrafted rookie from Division II Shepherd College who was signed to the Bears’ 53-man roster after an unlikely promotion in training camp. Yes, the odds have been stacked against him since he arrived at Halas Hall for rookie minicamp in May. Sure, the eye-popping performances he put up against twos and threes in the preseason are nothing compared to the speed and ferocity he’ll face on a real NFL Sunday.
And yet Bagent, who made his NFL debut during the Bears’ 19-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday after Justin Fields left with a hand injury, never batted an eyelid.
He is the same no matter what the result of the previous game was. The heartbeat is steady, the gaze is directed straight ahead. He carries himself with the confidence of a signal-caller who holds the NCAA record for all-time touchdown passes with 159. He believes he belongs because he prepares for it.
“I kind of put the burden on myself to make it known before I even allow myself to enjoy anything else,” Bagent told NBC Sports Chicago a few weeks ago about learning the weekly schedule and studying it thoroughly. “If I don’t want to feel bad, I usually do these things Wednesday through Friday, so on Saturday I can just prepare my heart and soul to go out on Sunday.”
When Fields went down Sunday with what was reported to be a dislocated right thumb, Bagent calmly grabbed his helmet and began warming up on the sideline. He admitted he had a few butterflies – how could he not? He is only human. But there’s a difference between butterflies and nerves. Bagent didn’t feel that because he knew he was ready.
“Playing football is my job,” Bagent said after the Bears’ loss. “I love playing football so I was excited to get out there. Obviously butterflies. You play in front of so many people and you know there’s a lot at stake in the NFL. I felt really well prepared. It felt like the coaches did something. “Good job getting all the quarterbacks ready week in and week out just because it’s always just a game away.” Felt good. Felt prepared and excited.”
Bagent calmly took his first snap and delivered a strike to Velus Jones Jr. for a 6-yard gain. First degree, check. But shortly afterwards Bagent was released and fumbled the ball. The Vikings grabbed the ball and took it over the distance for the decisive result.
Such a catastrophic mistake could easily prevent an undrafted rookie from getting his true taste of the NFL.
But Bagent responded by leading a nine-play, 77-yard touchdown drive in which he went 4-for-4 for 55 yards. He capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. Bagent made quick decisions, scored accurately and put the ball into the hands of DJ Moore. This is a recipe for success.
“His demeanor was great. It’s always great,” head coach Matt Eberflus said of Bagent after the loss. “He’s cool, calm and collected.”
That demeanor and unwavering confidence gives the Bears’ locker room belief that Bagent can lead them and win games if Fields is sidelined with the thumb injury.
“He’s a baller, as you can see,” wide receiver DJ Moore said after the loss. “He had the preseason, then he comes in today and just shows that he belongs. Made some impressive throws.”
“He has confidence, and that’s important in a quarterback,” tight end Cole Kmet said. “You can hear that in the huddle. He is confident when he throws it. I told him to keep cracking. … He has a lot of confidence and everyone else in the huddle can feel that.”
Cornerback Jaylon Johnson and the defense felt the same energy as they watched from the sidelines.
“He is confident. We felt like he was going to go down and score and keep moving the ball like he did when Justin was in there,” Johnson said. “Nothing has changed for us [with Bagent in].”
Bagent was a mixed bag in his NFL debut. There were good throws and a crisp attack, but also the stip sack and the game-winning interception when Bagent subdued Moore, who was being covered one-on-one.
After the defeat, Bagent took responsibility for both errors, pointing out that his job was to take care of the ball and that his inexperience or coming off the bench to implement a game plan tailored to Fields’ strengths were not acceptable excuses be.
There is currently no timetable for Fields’ return. He wanted to get back into the game on Sunday, but couldn’t grab the football. Fields will have an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the injury.
But assuming Fields is out for at least some time, it will be the Tyson Bagent show moving forward for the Bears.
The Bears believe in the player and the person, but Bagent will need the help of his experienced teammates, particularly on the defensive side, to ensure he is as prepared as possible to be successful on Sundays.
“For us, we have to push him,” Johnson said of helping Bagent prepare for Sundays. “We have to make him look good. He competed against us on the scout team, so I feel like he saw good defenses and guys flying around and stuff like that. For him it is nothing else. He played good defense and good players. He just has to go out there on Sunday and perform.”
Offensively, Moore will play an important role in making Bagent as comfortable as possible as QB1, should that be the case.
“Just being available and open,” Moore said. “Just like I always did. Just keep challenging him and keep encouraging him to play in this league.”
The Bears’ offense was stagnant for most of Sunday. The Vikings’ blitz-heavy defensive attack kept Fields off balance before eventually knocking him out of the game.
But Bagent came in and gave the Bears life with this 77-yard touchdown drive. That’s something they lacked for most of the afternoon, even with Fields behind center. The long throw to Tyler Scott down the field was crucial in this nine-play drive. It was as backyard football as it gets, and yet it gave the Bears a spark and a feeling that Bagent could pull off a win.
“You saw him running around out there just playing football,” Moore said. “I’ve never seen a pitch and catch like him and Tyler. I thought, ‘Oh, okay, we’re close to winning this.’ But we didn’t do it.
Although Bagent couldn’t make the comeback, his interception at the end of the game showed his willingness to trust his receivers and his understanding that good things can happen when you let it rip.
“DJ Moore, one of the best receivers in the world, one-on-one, whenever we can get that, we like that,” Bagent said of his interception. “I underestimated it a little there. That’s on me and I need to fix that in the future.”
Bagent showed toughness, confidence, responsibility and a natural ability to navigate the quarterback position. You could tell he was getting more and more comfortable as the game went on.
Most importantly, he has the support of a locker room that still believes it can right the ship after a 1-5 start.
“He just has that confidence,” Scott said. “When you have confidence in your teammates and that a guy next to you is going to do his job, it makes things easier. You just want to fight for him even more.”
Losing a starting quarterback for an extended period of time can sink a team if they don’t believe in who they have behind them.
That doesn’t appear to be the case with the 2023 Bears.
They believe in Bagent because he believes in himself. This confidence comes from an insane work ethic that allows him to find his inner strength, harness it and bring it to the surface to be his best when his best is needed.
“This locker room has a lot of confidence in Tyson and what he brings to the table,” running back D’Onta Foreman said. “We see how he works every day in training and what he has achieved. We gained great confidence in 17.”
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