Chicago Bears clear the way for Tyson Bagent as QB2, release PJ Walker

Chicago Bears undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent has won the backup quarterback competition, as the team has informed veteran free-agent signing PJ Walker that he will be released.

Bears have released QB PJ Walker, per source

— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) August 27, 2023

Walker had an abysmal preseason, often looking lost and underprepared in Luke Getsy’s offense. Bagent, meanwhile, was calm and composed and rarely appeared like a player making an adjustment from Division II to the NFL.

Bagent owns the NCAA record — all divisions — for career touchdown passes. He tossed a remarkable 159 TDs at Shepherd and won the Harlan Hill Trophy (Division II’s Heisman) in 2021.

Bagent ended the preseason with a solid showing against the Buffalo Bills. His stat line wasn’t great (7-of-14, 43 yards, INT), but his on-field command was impressive. He scored a rushing touchdown for the second week in a row, and his lone interception looked more like the fault of his intended target than his own.

Tyson Bagent is the most incredible story of the Chicago Bears’ 2023 training camp and preseason, and he makes the team’s quarterback room even more promising than it was with just Justin Fields at the top. The Bears now have two young and exciting quarterbacks on the roster. Let that sink in for a second.

Walker, meanwhile, gets his walking papers after signing a two-year, $4 million deal last offseason to serve as Fields’ primary backup. With this decision, the Bears will eat more than $2 million in dead cap. Walker is a candidate to return to Chicago on the practice squad, assuming he isn’t claimed off waivers.