As expected, Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields did not practice Wednesday as the team continued preparing for Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Soldier Field. That leaves undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent in line to make his first start this week.
Fields dislocated the thumb on his throwing hand while being sacked in the third quarter of last week’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings. A timetable for his recovery and return remains cloudy.
Coach Matt Eberflus reiterated Wednesday morning that Fields’ reduced grip strength remains the primary issue and the team is monitoring that as the week progresses.
Eberflus said the swelling in Fields’ right hand continues to go down, but he didn’t dismiss the possibility of Fields opting to have surgery on the thumb.
“I believe we’ll have some clarity later in the week hopefully,” Eberflus said. “Again, nothing is off the table and nothing is on the table with that. We just have to see where it is.”
The Bears continue to discuss the possibility of Fields taping the thumb for added stability while trying to play through the injury in the near future.
“With other people who have had this injury, it’s gone that way,” Eberflus said. “They’ve taped it and went through it and they’ve played. It’s been a week-to-week thing. … We don’t know where it is yet. We’ll figure it out later in the week.”
The Bears have optimism Bagent can play effectively during Fields’ likely absence. Earlier this week, Eberflus praised the rookie for his football acumen and functional intelligence.
“He’s able to chunk a bunch of information together and simplify it in his mind to understand concepts,” Eberflus said. “His release is really quick. I like that. I like how he sees the field. He’s very patient and very poised in there. It’s a good opportunity for Tyson.”
That opportunity, of course, would require offensive coordinator Luke Getsy to adapt his approach to position Bagent for optimal success.
“You play to the strengths of your quarterback,” Eberflus said. “Certainly it’ll look different for sure, just because of the person. You always have to play to the strength of who has the ball in their hands. And we’re certainly going to do that.”
Bagent expressed his eagerness for the week and has retained a healthy perspective on his underdog story, rising from Division II Shepherd University to become this week’s starting quarterback for one of the NFL’s charter franchises.
As much of a fairytale as that might seem to outsiders, Bagent has had belief at every step along his journey.
“I always thought this was going to happen,” he said. “Me and my dad really were the only ones who thought that this was going to happen. After that, it was just figuring out how I could outwork everybody who maybe had more things than I did or had better facilities and all that stuff.
“It was really just trying to get it out of the mud, putting in a lot of work in the shadows just so I’d be ready for this week.”
()
