CBS Sports dropped an article on Monday ranking their top 10 best back-up Quarterbacks for the 2025 season, and the Chicago Bears 3rd years Quarterback, Tyson Bagent made the cut at number 10.
Bagent was named the 30th best by PFSN just two weeks ago, but has since put together two fantastic performances in the preseason, including playing the entire second half in the Bears’ preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs, engineering a 29-27 come from behind victory, which included 3 straight touchdown
drives in the 4th quarter.
Per my Quarterback grading system, he compiled passing grades of 2.20 against the Buffalo Bills in week 2 and 2.90 in week 3 against the Chiefs, both scores of which chart in as “Great” halves of football.
Fresh off inking a 2 year, 10 million dollar extension last week (with incentives making it worth up to 16 million), Bagent completed 46 of 69 passes (66.7%) for 511 yards, 5 touchdowns and just 1 interception, good for a 106.6 Passer Rating. He was arguably better statistically in the preseason last years, albeit in more limited reps, going 17 of 25 (68.0%) for 207 yards, 2 touchdowns, not interceptions and a Passer Rating of 119.9 Rating.
The Sheppard University stand out broke nearly every school passing record, and is currently the Division II record holder for completions (1,400) and yards (17,034), also holds the overall NCAA passing touchdown career record, with 159.
He has earned praise from Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson and General Manager Ryan Poles alike.
Ben Johnson is also enamored with his work ethic.
“I mean, I’ve really been blown away by his approach from the spring to start of camp to where we are now. He does a tremendous job knowing what to do, how to do it and getting it done. So I don’t think you can have enough talent in that room.”
Bagent went 2-2 in 2023 as an undrafted rookie filling in for Justin Fields, who injured his thumb in Week 6 against the Minnesota Vikings. A stretch that included an impressive win over the Las Vegas Raiders, earning him praise from the fanbase and national media alike.
The 10th overall ranking for backup Quarterbacks shows that Tyson Bagent has proven himself to be more than just a feel-good Division II story. His mix of clutch preseason performances, statistical efficiency, team trust, and prior NFL experience vaulted him from being an afterthought at 30th per PFSN, into CBS Sports’ top 10 backup quarterbacks for 2025.
Gary Baugher Jr. is a rookie contributor to WCG, bringing football insight backed by over 16 years of experience in organized football and more than 30 years as a passionate fan of the game. You can follow him on Twitter at @iamcogs.
