Bears coach Matt Eberflus said he has not decided whether veteran Nathan Peterman or rookie Tyson Bagent will back up quarterback Justin Fields in the Bears’ season opener against the Packers on Sept. 10 at Soldier Field.
“We have not decided that, but we’re sure glad to have [Peterman] back,” Eberflus said. “He’s good for that room. Him and Justin learned the offense together, so they’re speaking the same language. They understand it really well. It’s good to have him in the room.”
The Bears re-signed Peterman to the 53-man roster after cutting him Tuesday. But the Bears still are considering Bagent as the back-up, even though he’s a rookie from Division II Shepherd. Peterman has been in the NFL since 2017, but with only five starts.
“Just performance,” Eberflus said when asked what the biggest consideration was in making that decision. “The performance he had in camp and ... during those preseason games. We like where he is. And we like where Nate is. We’re excited to have both those guys and see where they develop to and where they go.”
Bears general manager Ryan Poles said the Bears will have to “see what we’re comfortable with” in deciding Bagent’s preparedness to be the back up. Though Bagent was not overwhelmed by anything in training camp or the preseason, Eberflus acknowledged unknown factor with a rookie transitioning to the game speed of the regular season.
“We haven’t made any decisions yet, so we’re still in that process,” Eberflus said, “but yeah, when you first put a guy out there, like any rookie — [Jaquan] Brisker or anybody — you kind of don’t know until you know.
“What you can go by is what they practice and how they play and that’s all you have. That’s what we always have. You always got to have your first performance when they go out there and they’ll perform. They’ll really rely on what their practice habits are.”
