Tyson Bagent's New Experience

WATCH Bears and Colts highlights: Spiking the ball and playing in the NFL are new experiences for Bears rookie QB Tyson Bagent, and he did both Saturday.

Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent rose after diving for a 2-yard touchdown and spiked the ball hard.

It was a new feeling for him in Saturday' 24-17 preseason loss to the Indianapolis Colts—both spiking it and suddenly being in a battle for an NFL backup quarterback position.

"I'd never spiked I never even practiced a spike before," Bagent said. "I thought it was pretty solid form and everybody seemed to be pretty juiced up, you know, on the offense, which is also just celebrating with the O-line after just a big drive like that is always pretty exciting. So, it was a lot of fun."

He'd like the chance for more fun in the future, like next week, but that's going to depend on what coach Matt Eberflus has in mind for the final preseason game. He's thinking about giving Bagent more time, at least.

With Justin Fields benched for the week, Bagent was the Bears highlight in a come-from-ahead loss, although third-string quarterback Nathan Peterman wasn't bad, either. Both he and Bagent played better than second-stringer and starter P.J. Walker.

It wasn't a bad effort for a Division II quarterback from Shepherd who went undrafted.

"Yeah, I would say it's probably two things," Bagent said. "You know, luck. Luckily enough I was able to play a lot of football in college, be able to really get exposed to kind of all the situations that football has to offer.

"So I think that definitely serves a role. I've also been playing quarterbacks since I was 6, you know, when my dad forced me to play. So, I've been playing for a long time, got a pretty good understanding, I guess, of what needs to happen, what doesn't need to happen, and then also the mental load that it is to play quarterback in the NFL. So, you know, it's a lot. So if you kind of let that get to you you could start to look pretty crazy out there. So I just like to keep it cool calm and collected."

He looked this way on the one touchdown drive he had. Bagent only got two chances to run drives. He needed 17 plays and 92 yards to get the Bears to the end zone, going over himself from the 2 on third-and-goal with a scramble. Actually it was 97 yards because they had a 5-yard penalty to overcome, as well.

On the long drive, Bagent hit Dante Pettis for 9 and 4 yards, Nsimba Webster for 13, Joe Reed for 11 and Roschon Johnson turned a short pass into an 11-yard gain. Bagent also found Daurice Fountain for 5 and 8 yards to get them into position. 

He blended in short, efficient passing with Johnson's runs of 14, 10, 4, 2 and twice 1 yard before the TD scramble and then the spike.

Then came the somewhat surprising pronouncement about his job status from coach Matt Eberflus.

"I think everything's open right now," Eberflus said. "I really do. I think if you have a closed mind, then if somebody's rising or executing or, you know, you always never put a ceiling on any player. There's never that.

"You always look for the best in every guy and and you'll see guys all of a sudden they'll get into a game and, man, they start rising up."

Bagent had one other possession but barely got it moving when the clock ran out for the second quarter. Then Eberflus went to Nathan Peterman to finish the game after Bagent went 9 of 10 for 76 yards.

"We just wanted to see him in there with the line, you know, to have a little bit more protection and see how he operated to give him his chance," Eberflus said.

It's making for a difficult decision because they have a backup in Walker, who they profess total confidence in, and he has more starting experience than the others. They have Peterman who could be third QB. And they have Bagent.

Do they put Bagent on the practice squad and risk losing him on waivers? Do they get rid of Peterman, who actually has game experience Bagent lacks? Peterman didn't play poorly, either. He was 10 of 18 for 115 yards with a 35-yard TD pass to Fountain and also a drive to a field goal. The Bears moved ahead 17-7 when he was on the field.

"Nate played solid in the second half as well," Eberflus said. "So it's good to see those guys.

"(Bagent) certainly put his best foot forward tonight."

The new quarterback rule adds to the intrigue about what they'll do at the position. It lets them keep a third quarterback as an inactive for the 53-man roster, except if there is an emergency on game day like losing the first two passers.

Would they keep someone for this? It would be difficult to imagine them keeping all four quarterbacks on the roster.

While they decide, Bagent will be counting his blessings for simply being in the league despite not being drafted.

"I think it's everything that I had planned for myself but then again it every day has been nothing short of amazing," he said. "I kind of catch myself pre-practice pre-game pre-walk through just kind of looking around, looking at certain individuals and just kind of pinching myself with just how amazed that I am where I am and just how thankful and blessed that I feel, you know, as a quarterback

"I really just would like them to know that I would just like to make them as comfortable as possible with the thought of me in the game, just really have them understand that any play that needs to be run I at least know how to run it."

There was little question he did Saturday night.

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