Nov 3, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent (17) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
NFLBy Sam Neumann on

The Chicago Bears are a hot mess.

Their head coach can’t seem to get a good cell phone signal, and their offense is stuck in neutral. A 19-3 drubbing at the hands of the New England Patriots was the final straw, as the team’s offensive woes culminated in the firing of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.

Amid the turmoil, the Bears have turned to Thomas Brown to take over play-calling duties. With Brown now at the helm, the Bears are aiming to give Caleb Williams the support he needs to get back on track. The 2024 No. 1 overall pick’s struggles behind a porous offensive line, combined with his inconsistent decision-making, have only compounded the team’s offensive struggles.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Adding to the instability, ESPN Chicago’s Marc Silverman reported that frustrated Bears players approached Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles, pushing for a change at offensive coordinator. According to Silverman, some veterans even lobbied for backup quarterback Tyson Bagent to take over for Williams.

The Bears have since changed play-callers but not quarterbacks. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Thursday on Get Up that the Bears engaged in discussions about whether one solution was to bench Williams, give him a break, and try to save him, so to speak.

But the Bears never got quite down the road of turning the keys over to Bagent.

And while Silverman reported that veteran players sought out Williams’ benching, not everyone agrees with this account.

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, one of the most well-connected Bears reporters, publicly downplayed the rumor.

“I don’t believe that happened. I don’t think there’s a story there,” Biggs said.

Additionally, veteran tight end Cole Kmet, a team captain, publicly refuted the notion that any players were calling for a quarterback switch.

“That didn’t happen,” Kmet said.

Wide receiver Tyler Scott echoed this sentiment, saying, “Narratives get made up… the media can definitely twist and turn things to make situations come to life… we are all behind our QB.”

But those rumors swirled even further when unverified claims from a Reddit user suggested that Tyson Bagent’s father, Travis, might be behind the leaks, leveraging his connections to ESPN personalities. These accusations, however, remain speculative, with no solid evidence to back them up.

The user later apologized to the Bagent family for “posting my opinion as fact.”

In the meantime, the Bears have stuck with Williams as their starter despite the swirling controversy, hoping that a shake-up in play-calling — and not at quarterback — can salvage what’s left of a tumultuous season.

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann