Tyson Bagent will be under center for the Bears once again in Week 10. Coach Matt Eberflus told reporters that the rookie QB will earn a fourth-straight start while the team continues to await Justin Fields‘ return, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.

Fields continue to recover from a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand. While he was listed as doubtful on the latest injury report, Eberflus told reporters that the QB won’t play against the Panthers tomorrow night. Fields still hasn’t been cleared by Chicago’s medical staff, so his return is partly dependent on him passing all the necessary tests. The former first-round pick returned to practice on a limited basis last week.

“He’s getting better, though,” Eberflus said. “Accuracy’s improving. He’s throwing it better. And he’s starting to do more and more and more. So, we’ll see where it goes. Right now, we’re listing him as doubtful. And we’ll see where it goes from there.”

As Cronin notes, the Bears will have 10 days between Thursday’s game and their Week 11 matchup against the Lions. Fields hasn’t seen the field since Chicago’s Week 6 loss to the Vikings.

Bagent, an undrafted rookie out of Shepherd, won his first start, completing 72.4 percent of his passes for 162 yards and one touchdown. He’s lost each of his past two games, however, tossing five interceptions over that span. While the Bears don’t have a shot at the playoffs, the offense should get a spark when Fields returns to the lineup.

NOVEMBER 5: Bagent will indeed get another start when the Bears visit the Saints today, but Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network (video link) says Chicago is hopeful that Fields will be able to suit up for its Week 10 matchup against the Panthers. However, since that game is a Thursday night contest and will take place just four days from now, Fields — who still has “issues” with his hand — will need to make a fair amount of progress in a short amount of time.

NOVEMBER 3: The Bears have had to perform the past two weeks without the presence of third-year quarterback Justin Fields. While Fields has been dealing with a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand, Chicago has gone 1-1 riding the arm of undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent. Though Bagent may still be the team’s starter this week in New Orleans, the team has moved one step closer to Fields’ return after seeing him come back to practice today, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Fields originally sustained the injury in a Week 6 loss to the Vikings. The injury affected his grip on the ball, effectively removing his ability to pass the football. There were early concerns that surgery may be necessary, which had the potential to completely change the aspect of the team’s season.

Fortunately, Fields was able to avoid surgery and a stint on injured reserve, with head coach Matt Eberflus describing his quarterback’s status as “week to week” as swelling reduced and grip strength and mobility in the hand improved. Still, the injury was hampering the 24-year-old enough to hold him out of a second straight start last week, when the team lost to the Chargers with Bagent under center.

The injury came at a terribly inconvenient time for Fields. After spending the first two years of his career as a bit of a developmental project, much of the Bears’ aspirations this year hinged on Fields taking the next step towards becoming an effective starter. Through the first three weeks of this season, fans were beginning to worry that they may be subject to a third year of what they had seen in the prior two seasons from Field: inconsistent and turnover prone play while showing flashes of what made him a first-round pick in 2021.

Then, in back-to-back starts, Fields delivered two of the best performances of his young NFL career, completing 67 percent of his passes for 617 yards, eight touchdowns, and one interception over the two-game stretch. There had been performances in 2022 that displayed his impressive rushing abilities, but this was the first demonstration of Fields taking his passing game to the next level. That demonstration was put on hold due to the dislocated thumb, but Chicago hopes that its starter will be able to return soon and continue that successful progress.

In the meantime, if one practice isn’t enough for Fields to comfortably return to the field, the Bears are likely to start Bagent once again down in New Orleans. A graduate of Division II program Shepherd University, Bagent had won the Harlon Hill Trophy, often considered Division II’s version of the Heisman Trophy, back in 2021. He beat out incumbent backup Nathan Peterman for the backup quarterback job with strong performances in training camp and the preseason.

In his first career start, Bagent impressed with his composed game management in the team’s comfortable win over the Raiders, not needing to do much behind strong performances from the Bears’ defense and running backs. In Los Angeles last week, more was asked of Bagent as his defense and running game didn’t hold up nearly as well. The increased pressure amounted to less effectiveness and more turnovers against one of the NFL’s more porous defenses.

If it is Bagent that faces the Saints, he’ll be facing a group that has effectively shut down lesser opponents’ offenses so far this season, ranking 12th in points allowed and 8th in passing defense. Fields is likely returning to practice too close to the road contest to make a start this week, so expect Bagent to try to earn his second win as an NFL starter this week in the Big Easy.

OCTOBER 27: After the Giants and Titans ruled out their respective starters, the Bears will do the same. The Bears will sit Fields for Week 8, which will mark his second absence due to the thumb issue. Sunday night’s game will feature Bagent against Justin Herbert.

OCTOBER 23: Justin Fields‘ thumb injury caused him to miss the Bears’ Week 7 win, but questions remained through the weekend regarding his status moving forward. For the time being, it does not appear as though he will be able to suit up for Chicago’s next game.

When speaking to the media on Monday, head coach Matt Eberflus confirmed (via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times) that Fields’ status has not changed over the past few days. As a result, he is doubtful to play in Week 8 against the Chargers. That will leave Tyson Bagent in line to start another contest.

Fields is dealing with swelling in his right thumb, but surgery (and the IR stint which would likely come about as a result of it) is not on the table right now. That has left the 24-year-old with a week-to-week prognosis, with his ability to grip the ball being a major determinant in when he will next see the field. Of course, Eberflus’ doubts on that front emerging early in the week suggest Fields will remain sidelined for at least one more game.

Bagent overtook veteran Nathan Peterman on the depth chart in large part due to his strong performances in training camp and the preseason, and he made his first career start on Sunday against the Raiders. The undrafted rookie delivered an efficient, turnover-free outing and helped lead the team to a win. While Eberflus confirmed Bagent will handle starting duties while Fields is away, he has made it clear multiple times the latter will be QB1 upon return.

Nevertheless, all eyes will likely be on Bagent over the next several days as the Bears look for a third win in four games against an underwhelming Chargers team. Fields, meanwhile, will continue his rehab and any further updates on that front will be worth watching closely as the week progresses.

OCTOBER 22: Prior to the Bears’ Week 7 win, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports confirmed that IR is not a consideration in Fields’ case while noting that “multiple” missed weeks remains a distinct possibility. Of course, much will depend on the swelling in his right thumb and his ability to grip the ball in the coming days. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler adds that the 24-year-old is “determined” to return as soon as possible, which means suiting up in Week 8 is still in play at this point.

Bagent impressed in the victory, completing 21 of 29 passes for 162 yards and one touchdown. He added 24 yards on the ground and avoided any turnovers, which should boost the team’s confidence in him should he be needed moving forward. To no surprise, though, Eberflus confirmed in his post-game remarks that Fields will remain the unquestioned starter upon his return.

OCTOBER 21: As expected, Justin Fields has been ruled out for tomorrow’s game against the Raiders. Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like the Bears quarterback will miss much time. Per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, there’s optimism “about the quarterback’s prognosis beyond Week 7.”

Further, coach Matt Eberflus said the Bears are “not on that path” when asked if Fields will require surgery and/or a stint on injured reserve (per Adam Jahns of The Athletic). Swelling in the quarterback’s injured thumb has gone down this past week, but Eberflus did caution that Fields may eventually need to go under the knife after the season. The coach also indicated that the training staff is especially focused on Field’s “grip strength,” and it doesn’t sound like the QB is at the necessary level to play this weekend.

“He’s improving,” Eberflus said (via ESPN). “The mobility’s getting better, the swelling went down, the grip strength is better. It’s trending in the right direction. He’ll be week to week and we’ll know more Monday.”

Undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent will earn the spot start on Sunday in place of Fields. The DII Shepherd product filled in for Fields last weekend against the Vikings, completing 10 of his 14 pass attempts for 83 yards and one interception. The rookie also had a pair of rushes for four yards and one touchdown. Bagent earned a number of accolades during his college career, including a pair of first-team DII All-American nods.

Fields has guided the Bears to a 1-5 record through six starts this season, perhaps leaving the door open to a QB competition if Bagent plays well. However, Eberflus quickly shut down that notion, declaring that Fields will return to the starting lineup when he’s healthy.

“Yeah, obviously Justin’s our starter and we’re working him back in there,” Eberflus said. “So we’ll see where it goes and as he progresses we’ll see where it is.”