Earlier this offseason, the Chicago Bears were open to trade calls for Tyson Bagent. While they did not receive any, it spoke to their optimism about the quarterback. However, now that starting quarterback Caleb Williams is hurt and the team is expected to start Bagent, it is interesting to see the national perspective on the situation.
Moe Moton of Bleacher Report suggests the Bears trade for Mason Rudolph of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Moton suggests Rudolph is an upgrade over Bagent.
Chicago can bring in Mason Rudolph, who's been a backup and fill-in starter for eight seasons. Late in the 2023 campaign, the Pittsburgh Steelers went 3-0 with him under center and made the playoffs.
The reality is that the skepticism around Bagent as a backup for a few spot starts should speak to why the team is unlikely to trade him for a starting opportunity unless his play dramatically changes.
Chicago Bears urged to replace Tyson Bagent already
Rudolph has 19 career NFL starts and a 9-9-1 record. He has a 64% completion rate, with a 4.1% touchdown rate and 3% interception rate. He also has a 5.5 adjusted net yards per attempt rate for his career.
Bagent is 2-2 in his four career starts, so he was able to do something similar to what Rudolph did. He has a 66% completion rate, but a 1.9% touchdown rate 3.8% interception rate. His adjusted net yards per attempt was 4.4.
So, Rudolph throws more touchdowns, fewer picks, and moves the football more consistently than Bagent does. It is fair that the Bears should consider him if they are serious about upgrading the spot.
The team is not going to, and they are going to give Bagent a chance. However, the comparison should cool expectations for the fourth-year player. Coming into the season, some Bears fans saw him as one of the best backup quarterbacks in the NFL and a potential trade chip to become a starter.
In reality, he is not much different than a Mason Rudolph-level quarterback. The Steelers are willing to trade Rudolph because they have both Drew Allar and Will Howard. The demand for a player like Bagent is not there.
Bagent would have to play extremely well to drum up legitimate starting interest this offseason. It is good to hope for Bagent, but there could be a lot more ups and downs than expected.
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