Veteran QB dubbed Bears’ most surprising roster cut

The Chicago Bears trimmed their roster to 53 players on Tuesday, and as is the case every year, there were a few players who received their pink slips that caught fans by surprise.

Perhaps the most surprising was veteran quarterback Brett Rypien, who appeared to do enough during the preseason to at least enter the season as Chicago’s QB3.

USA Today recently listed their most surprising roster cut for all 32 teams, and Rypien took the title for the Bears.

“Rookie Caleb Williams and second-year pro Tyson Bagent have a combined four regular-season starts between them, so it was a surprise that Rypien wasn’t retained on the roster,” Alyssa Barbieri wrote. “Especially when you factor in the amended emergency quarterback rule where the QB3 must be on the active roster.”

AP Photo – Charles Rex Arbogast

Chicago Bears are confident in Tyson Bagent as QB2

The loudest statement the Bears made with this year’s roster cuts was their confidence in Tyson Bagent as the primary backup to Caleb Williams. Bagent entered training camp as the favorite to win the QB2 job, and he certainly lived up to expectations.

Still, and as Barbieri noted, it feels like a bit of a gamble to enter a 2024 season, one with such high expectations, with two inexperienced quarterbacks in the QB room. And while it’s not as if Rypien is some 10-year pro with 100+ starts on his resume, he has lived the NFL life a little longer than Williams and Bagent (combined). Having him around would make some sense.