Two Former Bears Actually Helped Develop Tyson Bagent Before Draft

Do some things happen for a reason in the NFL? That depends on who you ask. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary when the Chicago Bears signed Tyson Bagent as an undrafted free agent. It made sense. They wanted more depth at quarterback and liked what they saw from him both at Division II Shepheard and the Senior Bowl. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy got to coach him personally. So, the Bears already had excellent data on the young quarterback. Early indications are they were wise to make that investment.

Bagent shocked all of Bears fandom when he put together an excellent preseason performance, conducting multiple scoring drives. Along the way, he showcased his athleticism and advanced understanding of footwork and other pocket mechanics. It was enough to unseat P.J. Walker as the primary backup behind Justin Fields. This wasn't because of luck or skill. It was a culmination of hard work that began months prior. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, Bagent trained with a man named Ken Mastrole. Older fans may remember him as an undrafted free agent who spent time with the team in 2002 and was their representative in NFL Europe.

Since then, he has become a notable quarterback trainer with his Mastrole Passing Academy. He's worked with guys like Gardner Minshew, Teddy Bridgewater, Jacoby Brissett, and Jeff Driskel.

Bagent was his latest challenge, and he enlisted some noteworthy help along the way.

Mastrole wound up getting some tryouts afterward and played arena ball but never caught on — he never got a shot with an NFL team in the regular season. He quickly transitioned into coaching and runs the Mastrole Passing Academy based in Fort Myers, Fla., where he trained Bagent, a record-setter at Division II Shepherd University in West Virginia, starting in December.

”I didn’t know a lot about him,” Mastrole said. “Hard to follow D-II or D-III quarterbacks through the season. We had a conversation and I did some research, watched a lot of film on him. So he came down in December for what was really a two-day tryout or workout, an assessment. I saw where his inefficiencies were, things he was doing at the collegiate level — his back foot would pop up off the ground when he threw or his energy was going away from the target. He wasn’t as efficient as I thought he could be. I tested him. I put him on different things from … muscle deficiencies, functional strength deficiencies and then balance and posture deficiencies throwing from different positions.”

It was the start of a nine-week training process as Mastrole prepared Bagent for the Senior Bowl, where he played for offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, and the pre-draft process. He exposed Bagent to NFL veterans such as retired coach Brad Childress. They went through everything from weighted-ball training to functional strength work and X’s and O’s.

Tyson Bagent got some quality coaching.

Mastrole, by himself, is a great sounding board with his experience as a player. Adding Brad Childress to the mix is a major bonus. The longtime coach spent 21 years in the NFL, most of it as a quarterbacks coach or offensive coordinator. He had a hand in developing Donovan McNabb in Philadelphia and Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City. He was also present when Mitch Trubisky had his best season with the Bears in 2018. The guy knows what the good quarterbacks are supposed to look like. His vast experience was undoubtedly valuable.

It's hard to say how much their influence impacted Tyson Bagent, but his rapid transition from Division II to the NFL suggests it was positive. He looks far more polished than most rookie quarterbacks should. That hard work paid off in a big way. Bagent might be the first undrafted rookie of the modern era to successfully win the Bears' #2 job. Caleb Hanie made it as a #3 in 2008. Mike Tomzcak did the same in 1985. It will be fascinating to see how much higher the young man can rise after clearing this first hurdle.