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 season opener against the Packers.
“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 backup, 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 backup. 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.”
Taylor in the fold
The Bears also added wide receiver/kick returner Trent Taylor to the 53-man roster Thursday. They put guard Teven Jenkins and center Doug Kramer on injured reserve to make room for Peterman and Taylor.
“I was a little surprised when Cincinnati let go of me considering the production I gave them in punt return [last] year,” the 5-8, 180-pound Taylor said. “But they had a draft pick in the fourth round [Purdue wide receiver Charlie Jones] that they felt they wanted to go with. I understand it’s a business and that’s how things go. I loved my time in Cincinnati, but happy to be here in Chicago.”
Brisker ‘wait and see’
Brisker, out since Aug. 5 with an undisclosed injury, is doing on-field work in practice, but his status for the opener is “wait and see,” Eberflus said.
“He’s doing things this weekend,” Eberflus said. “He’s been in there in practice this week, which has been good. And he’s been working off to the side during practice. So he’s starting to get himself in there, and we feel good where he is. Wednesday will be a big day for him when we get back into pads.”
The captains
Eberflus announced four permanent captains for the season: Fields, safety Eddie Jackson, wide receiver DJ Moore and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.
