3 things we need to see from Tyson Bagent to prove he's more than a backup

Justin Fields did not participate in today's practice. He is most likely missing the Week 8 game against the Chargers. If I had to guess, my assumption is that although he is considered week-to-week, he will be back in Week 10 against the Carolina Panthers. This would be one game sooner than if the Chicago Bears put him on injured reserve with designation to return. The upside though is we get to see Tyson Bagent another week.

If you are looking for a debate on Tyson Bagent being better or worse than Justin Fields, that's not what this is about. We can discuss that at a different time. My focus here is on Tyson Bagent with a little comparison and contrast to what we have seen from Justin Fields.

Tyson Bagent needs to prove he can start for the Chicago Bears

It is no secret that Tyson Bagent has a quicker release than Justin Fields. Having a quicker release does not make a quarterback better than another, but it is a benefit. If we go back and watch the tape on Bagent in the loss to the Vikings, we can see plenty of rookie mistakes. However, he showed enough in the quick passing game to keep fans excited. Luke Getsy and the Chicago Bears coaching staff saw enough to come up with a sound game plan against the Raiders last week. Bagent threw mostly first-read passes and the Bears used six and seven-man max protections. It worked.

Tyson Bagent was able to get the ball out to his skill players. DJ Moore played well once again and the Chicago Bears leaned on the running game for over 170 rushing yards. The defense played well again and the Bears won their second game of the season. The matchup against the Chargers is not going to be the same though. Bagent and the Bears will need to adjust. As of now, Tyson Bagent has proven he's good enough to be a backup quarterback in this league. That's a great feat for a Division II quarterback. However, we need to see a few more things if he wants to prove he can be a starter.