The Chicago Bears offense went deep into its bag against the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday. This was always something for which head coach Ben Johnson was known. He loves to weaponize gadget plays in the right situations. That creativity reached new heights when he decided to put two quarterbacks on the field. It featured an alignment of three receivers stacked to the right. One of them was backup Tyson Bagent. On the snap, Caleb Williams threw a backwards pass to him, making it seem as if Bagent would be the one to throw down the field. Instead, he fired the ball back across the field to a waiting Williams, who took it 20 yards for a first down.
Bagent revealed some fascinating details about how it all came about. He found out about the play on Tuesday night, leading up to the game. They spent all week practicing it. Yet that wasn't the best part. The best part was the name Coach Johnson gave the play: "Baby Daddy." Confused? It was, in fact, a tribute to Bagent, who'd recently had a newborn daughter. In case you wondered how Johnson managed to win over the locker room so fast, it is probably because of little things like this.
Tyson Bagent clearly loves Johnson.
It was evident from the moment he chose to sign a contract extension, which would keep him in Chicago for two more years. Most young quarterbacks wouldn't do something like that, knowing there was a high draft pick in front of them. They'd look for a chance to play elsewhere. Tyson Bagent understood that the best thing for his career was to spend the next couple of seasons learning from Johnson. Not many quarterbacks get opportunities like this. Getting to learn from one of the true offensive geniuses is something he wants to take advantage of. There will be time enough to chase a starting job.
He certainly made the most of his first opportunity to play. That throw by Tyson Bagent helped set up a Bears field goal. It was on target, proving again how calm the young QB is. Plenty of others would've underthrown or sailed that pass. Bagent put it on the money. It is easy to see why Johnson likes him so much. Seeing such poise from a quarterback is never a bad thing.
