The NFL announced a new rule that will soon be referred to as the Brock Purdy rule. Teams will now be allowed to carry a third quarterback who does not count against the active roster, freeing up one roster spot. This impacts all teams, but we for sure the Chicago Bears will be taking advantage of it.
Why this rule change will benefit Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears will be using this to activate Nathan Peterman each week. Fans are rolling at their at the idea of this benefitting the Bears, but stick with me.
Nathan Peterman was going to make the roster regardless, whether via this rule or as a practice squad player. That is because the coaching staff trusts and values his opinion in the quarterback meeting rooms. He was there for Fields to develop last year, so continuity helps and he is essentially another quarterback coach, but one who can be one of the players on the field to help Justin Fields as well.
Beyond that, it is hard to miss that Luke Getsy is from Pittsburgh and started his playing career at Pitt. Quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko went to Pitt and played quarterback, and Nathan Peterman also was a Pitt QB. They clearly all knew each other before joining up, and Getsy clearly values him more than the average fan.
Here is where this benefits the Bears. They were almost guaranteed to keep Peterman as a three, but the question was more about Tyson Bagent as a four. He is raw as it is, and is coming from Shepherd, so while fans want him to unseat Nathan Peterman, that is more of a journey to conquer in 2024.
The issue is that if the Chicago Bears kept Peterman on the practice squad, they would have to keep Bagent there as well. Not many teams would want to spend two practice squad spots on quarterbacks. So, they may have been pressured to keep Peterman on the 53-man roster.
Still, it is one thing to burn a practice squad on an extra coach, it is another when a depth guard or cornerback is now hitting the waiver wire because the team feels a need to keep Nathan Peterman.
Now, the debate between a 53-man roster spot, or a second practice squad dedicated to quarterback is over. The team can use the practice squad elevation to call up whichever player does not end up making the 53-man roster because of Peterman, knowing that they will have an extra game day roster spot.
Nathan Peterman will be the third quarterback who does not count against the roster. Then, the one practice squad spot designated for quarterback will go to Tyson Bagent, and he can spend a year developing as the fourth man. It will not change the Chicago Bears season, but it is a certain win for their roster building this summer.