The start of the Bears season is almost here, and for the sixth time in the last 10 years the team will have a new quarterback in Week 1. When the team selected Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 there was no doubt that he’d take over as the team’s new starter. If he goes down, the Bears have another familiar face waiting in the wings. Most teams like to have a developmental QB or an emergency vet on the practice squad, and the Bears have one of those, too.
Here’s a breakdown of the Bears’ QB room:
CALEB WILLIAMS – STARTER
For the first time since 1970, when the modern draft era began, the Bears will plan to have rookie QB start Week 1. Kyle Orton started the year as a rookie back in 2005, but only because Rex Grossman broke his ankle in the preseason.
This situation is unlike any other situation, however. The Bears got the No. 1 overall pick via the Panthers, thanks to the trade that sent the 2023 No. 1 overall pick to Carolina, not because they were the worst team in the league. In fact, they have an ascending defense and potentially the best cast of playmakers surrounding a No. 1 overall QB, ever. Williams will have the opportunity to lean on last year’s breakout star DJ Moore, future Hall of Famer Keenan Allen, No. 9 overall pick Rome Odunze, plus two big tight end targets in Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett. Free agent running back D’Andre Swift has proven himself to be a shifty ball carrier in the run game and a reliable pass catcher out of the backfield, too.
The sheer number of talented playmakers around Williams should help him play up to his own talents, which are impressive in their own regard. Simply put, Williams is good at pretty much everything required of an NFL quarterback. His off-script playmaking gets most of the attention, since he has the ability to make precise throws on when things go haywire, but he’s effective in the normal rhythm of the offense, too. Williams processes what’s going on post-snap quickly and moves through his progressions well to deliver passes on time to his receivers. He has the innate ability to feel pressure as it approaches and navigates the pocket accordingly. Williams also keeps his eyes downfield as long as he can. He’s always looking to pass first, and only takes off running when he’s out of options. When Williams does scramble, he’s an above-average athlete.
What makes all of the above especially impressive, is that Williams manages to do it while taking good care of the football. In 37 games between Oklahoma and USC, Williams completed 66.9% of his passes for 10,082 yards, 93 touchdowns and just 14 interceptions. He had 966 rushing yards and 27 rushing touchdowns, too.
If there’s one knock on Williams, it’s that he fumbled the ball at a higher rate in 2023 when playing hero ball for the Trojans. According to PFF, he put the ball on the ground 16 times last year, up from six fumbles in 2022 and 11 in 2021.
Things haven’t always been smooth for Williams and the first-team offense as they all develop chemistry and learn new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s scheme, but there are real reasons to be optimistic about the team’s future with Williams leading the way.
TYSON BAGENT – BACKUP
Bagent solidified his position as the clear backup in the Bears QB room after another impressive summer. He and the second-team offense often performed better than the starters, albeit going against lesser competition. Regardless, the team should feel good about Bagent’s ability to lead the team to a few wins if Williams goes down for any reason. After all, that’s exactly what he did last year.
The Bears brought in Bagent as an undrafted free agent from unheralded Shepherd University last summer, and he started the offseason as QB4 behind P.J. Walker and Nathan Peterman. Bagent quickly moved up the depth chart as he demonstrated that he could not only handle learning an NFL offense, but could execute it at a high level, too. By the time the Bears broke camp in 2023, he had earned the backup job.
Bagent was pressed into duty last year when Fields hurt his thumb in Week 6 and he ended up starting four games. Bagent and the rest of the offense weren’t exactly explosive over the course of those games, but they were efficient. Bagent completed 65.1% of his passes for 776 yards and added 105 rushing yards. He threw for three touchdowns, ran for another score, and turned the ball over six times. Most importantly, the Bears went 2-2.
AUSTIN REED – PRACTICE SQUAD
Following Bagent’s success story, the Bears went back to the UDFA well to add Reed this offseason. But Reed never had a real opportunity to take over as the backup this year since Bagent performed well in camp– unlike 2023 when Walker struggled and left the door open for Bagent to climb the depth chart. Due to a rained out Hall of Fame game and a slow start for the first team in the third preseason game, Reed didn’t get many opportunities to show what he could do with live reps, either. Over the course of the team’s exhibition slate, Reed completed 12-16 passes for 123 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions.
When it came time for roster cuts, the question was whether the Bears would opt to keep Reed, another developmental QB with the team, or whether they’d retain Brett Rypien, a veteran who has familiarity with Waldron’s offense. In the end, Rypien landed on the Vikings active roster so it was an easy choice for GM Ryan Poles to bring Reed back onto the Bears practice squad. He’ll get all year to continue learning the nuances of playing quarterback at the NFL level.