3 Players Who Have Gone Missing at Bears Training Camp

3. Austin Reed, QB

There's no question that the focus of the Bears' quarterback position is squarely on Caleb Williams this year. The backup position is bordering on inconsequential given the presence of Williams and what he's capable of bringing to this team as its franchise quarterback.

But there are still players at backup quarterback who could be counted on at some point or another this season. While Tyson Bagent seems firmly entrenched in the QB2 spot for now, there was supposed to be an intriguing battle for the QB3 spot between Brett Rypien and Austin Reed.

Reed was one of the prized pickups among undrafted free agents in the 2024 offseason, a star at Western Kentucky whose fall out of the draft was a bit of a surprise.

Although you're not exactly expecting reports to come out of Chicago that Reed is just out there lighting it up at practice, he is an exciting enough prospect (as far as UDFAs go) that you would hope to hear at least a little something. We hope to see Reed light it up throughout the course of the preseason, and he very well could. That will really be his opportunity to get back on track.

There's a chance the Bears could go with a very young quarterback room if he is able to outplay Brett Rypien in the preseason. The big advantage that Rypien has right now is the fact that he's not only started some games at the NFL level but he's considered a coach off the field and some believe he has a future as an offensive coordinator.

Reed has a tough road ahead.

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