Tyson Bagent will start for the Bears in Week 9 vs. Saints

Tyson Bagent Mania will live on for at least one more week.

The Chicago Bears will start the undrafted rookie quarterback against the New Orleans Saints, coach Matt Eberflus said Monday on ESPN 1000.

Matt Eberflus tells @WaddleandSilvy and @TWaddle87 that Tyson Bagent will start for the Bears against the Saints while Justin Fields remains “week-to-week”

— ESPN 1000 (@ESPN1000) October 30, 2023

Eberflus said Justin Fields is still week-to-week while he recovers from a dislocated right thumb.

It seems odd that the Bears have already named Bagent the starter for Week 9. The only way this makes sense is if Chicago knows Fields’ injury is more severe than they’ve led on. Otherwise, it’s way too quick to name a starter, not even one full day into the week.

Are the Bears giving Tyson Bagent a legitimate chance to win the starting job? Perhaps. At 2-6, they have nothing to lose. If GM Ryan Poles already knows that Fields isn’t his guy moving forward, getting a longer look at Bagent makes sense, even if moving on from Fields doesn’t.

Bagent was just “OK” against the Chargers in Week 8. He completed 25 of 37 passes for 232 yards and two interceptions (one wasn’t his fault). There was never a point in Sunday night’s game that Bagent looked like an upgrade over Fields, but he didn’t necessarily look like a downgrade, either.

Perhaps Fields recovers quicker than the Bears expect and does return to the lineup against the Saints. But with Eberflus’ comments on Monday, it doesn’t appear likely.