Cubs News: Bagent on Williams' ability to make off-schedule plays, dynamic WR room |
LAKE FOREST, I.L. - Quarterback Tyson Bagent was Chicago’s Cinderella story last season. Coming from a Division II school and not getting drafted, it wasn’t thought he was going to go far in the league. But he ended up starting four games for the Bears, and while his numbers were not amazing, he did what he had to do.
Going into his second season, Bagent says the game has slowed down and he feels more comfortable in the offense than he did as a rookie. “I think the speed in which I can just paint the picture in my head and have an understanding of my order of operations before I even get to the line of scrimmage has been night and day compared to last year,” Bagent said. “I feel a lot more comfortable, just feel a lot of comfort and command of the offense as a whole … It’s nice to be able to play fast without having to hesitate at all.” Typically, when the offensive coordinator changes, it takes time to adjust to the playbook and the new terminology that comes along with it. However, with Shane Waldron’s offensive scheme, the adjustment has not been as difficult because Waldron is a good teacher and has installed his scheme exceptionally well. “I like the way that he installs. I like the way that he teaches all the concepts and run scheme, the dynamic that him and (head coach Matt Eberflus) and all the coaches on the offensive staff have,” Bagent said. “It’s been a good flow. I feel like when I’m going back to look over plays that we installed, I’m more just looking over it rather than needing to kind of learn it again and learn the rules based on the play. So, it’s been pretty fluent and we’ve been able to put a lot of good stuff in. So, looking forward to see how it progresses, and so far, it’s been great.” Despite still being the backup quarterback, Bagent is taking on a very different role in the offense as he now also serves as a mentor for rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. Since organized team activities (OTAs), the Heisman winner has impressed players on both sides of the ball and continues to do so in training camp. “He’s been a great dude in the locker room, personality is great and he’s been working hard. So, those are really the only things I care about and it’s been great so far,” Bagent said. “I think just the overwhelming physical capabilities and just the things that he can do off-schedule. In the NFL, if you’re a 10-year vet, a lot of plays can go south pretty quickly. So, being able to not hesitate, continue to just react and play the play longer than the other team, I think he does a really good job of that and I think there’s a lot of plays that could be made in this offense, especially with the capabilities that he has outside of the pocket and off-schedule.” The playmakers around the quarterback have also drastically changed from last season when DJ Moore was the number-one receiver. Now, with receiver Keenan Allen acquired via trade and Rome Odunze via the draft, there are more dynamic playmakers to get the ball to. “I don’t think you could go wrong no matter who you throw the ball to, which is unbelievable, and I think it’s similar on the defensive side. I think when we’re in seven-on-seven, you look on the field and everybody’s got the potential to be an All-Pro, in my opinion,” Bagent said. “So it’s a lot of fun, a lot more options than last year and just a lot of guys running around the field, running fast and with a lot of skill.” As the backup quarterback last season and this year, Bagent has gotten the opportunity to work more with receiver Tyler Scott who was also a rookie last season. Despite the lack of depth at receiver, Scott was only on the field for 39 percent of Chicago’s offensive snaps last season. Still, Bagent has seen Scott improve during this offseason and training camp as he is more familiar with the pace of the NFL. He also believes that Waldron’s offensive scheme will help Scott use his speed to benefit the team. “He’s fast, and I think everybody knows that. So, with him, he’s just more comfortable in an offense. Like I said, there’s a lot of similarities between the offenses. So, even though it’s a new OC, he’s able to show his speed more so now that he’s not playing with hesitation,” Bagent said. “Even if you haven’t gotten any better physically, you’ll look like you got better physically. So, I think he’s just a lot more comfortable in the offense. He’s not thinking as much and you’re able to kind of see how dynamic he could be.” Bagent and Scott are two players Chicago fans will most likely see a lot of in their first preseason game in the Hall of Fame game against the Houston Texans (7 p.m./ABC).
