Tyson Bagent Continues To Sound Like Someone Expecting To Play Soon

Nobody dreamed the Chicago Bears would be in this position. Justin Fields had people predicting he'd compete for the MVP this year. Instead, he's drifting dangerously close to getting benched. The team is 0-3. He has more interceptions (4) than touchdowns (3) and continues taking too many sacks. This has left the offense stuck in the mud for almost a month with no end in sight. Now, he faces the Denver Broncos on Sunday with their 29th-ranked pass defense. If he can't get going against this opponent, it could spell the beginning of the end. Maybe that explains why Tyson Bagent sounds ready to go.

Almost any undrafted rookie would never presume he will see the field when joining a team. That hasn't seemed like the case from the moment Bagent arrived. He admitted to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune that he chose the Bears because he felt they offered the best path to making the roster and playing time. Recently, Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Chicago caught up with him. By the sound of things, Bagent is preparing like somebody who expects to get the call in the near future.

He will be ready.

While Bagent has spent his first three NFL Sundays on the sideline, he knows how quickly things can change. Staying ready is the only thing on his mind. He works to perfect things during the week so his game can flow freely on Sunday if he's called on.

“I kind of, to an extent, put a burden on myself to get it known before I even allow myself to enjoy anything outside of this," Bagent said of learning the weekly gameplan and his exhaustive studying. "Unless I want to be miserable, I usually get that stuff done Wednesday through Friday, so Saturday I can kind of just get my heart and soul ready to go out there on Sunday.”

Tyson Bagent doesn't seem intimidated by the challenge.

That is what makes him so interesting. You'd never know he went to a Division II school from watching him talk in interviews and operate on the field. The truth is he never should've. Big programs recruited after his early success at Shepherd, but other circumstances compelled him to stay put rather than leave. If he had transferred, there is a good chance he would've been drafted. Instead, his fate landed him in Chicago right as Fields' status with the team began crumbling. Maybe it's destiny or simple good fortune.

Either way, Tyson Bagent seems two or three poor Fields performances away from getting the nod. It isn't a secret that Matt Eberflus and the coaching staff are under lots of pressure. They haven't won a game since last October. This team is in desperate need of a jolt. Maybe a change at quarterback might do it. Yes, going to an undrafted rookie feels foolhardy. It's not like they have other options. Nathan Peterman won't save them. He's there because Fields like him. Bagent is the guy, and he's ready for the call.