Tyson Bagent’s poise Sunday didn’t come as a surprise to DJ Moore.
The rookie signal-caller, who joined the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent out of Division-II Shepherd University, made his first NFL start Sunday. Bagent showed promise in Week 6 when he took over for Justin Fields after he dislocated his thumb, and he built upon the performance in Sunday’s 30-12 win over the Raiders.
The 23-year-old was 21-for-29 in the air for 162 yards with a touchdown. He also didn’t turn the ball over at all against Las Vegas after throwing an interception and fumbling once the week before.
Right from the jump, Moore said Monday on “Mully & Haugh,” it was clear Bagent was comfortable leading the offense.
“I wouldn’t say he was wide-eyed (in the huddle), he was more like ‘OK, I got this. Let’s do it,’” Moore said. “He was really confident in himself and taking charge in the huddle. I think his confidence made his play (strong) and anxiety go down when he walked into the huddle and saw that we all had his back.”
It has been quite the rise for Bagent, who was playing against Division-II opponents this time last year. He performed well enough in camp to earn Chicago’s third-string quarterback job, then leapfrogged Nathan Peterman on the depth chart in Week 4.
Bagent exudes confidence, and for Moore, he first realized that months ago and in a non-football setting.
“His rookie show he got up there and was rapping Drake, so it’s like he is confident all-around no matter what he’s doing.”
Bagent became just the fourth D-II quarterback to start an NFL game in the past 20 years. The Bears are hopeful that Fields won’t need to go on injured reserve, so Bagent’s time as the starting quarterback could be short-lived.