Jerry MarkarianSep 20, 2026

With Caleb Williams sidelined by a hamstring injury, Markarian expects Tyson Bagent to hold the Bears' starting quarterback job in their absence, barring an unlikely trade.

Published in writing · Sports IllustratedRead the original

Waitinggraded once the result is in

What Jerry Markarian said

Barring a trade (which would be a surprise with the options at their disposal), the starting job will belong to Bagent in the meantime.

Our reading: Tyson Bagent to be 1st on the depth chart

Where it was published: Sports Illustrated
The piece: Bears Best Offseason Move Clearly Retaining Tyson Bagent in Wake of Caleb Williams' Injury
The original: Read the original
Read it wrong?: Tell us and we will look

How the call scored

One checkable claim, graded on its own against what actually happened.

It names 2 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

Nothing to score yet: this grades once the result is in.

Of the 1 unsettled call enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room.

The call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same call; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.

Where this call stands in the room

Tyson Bagent · 2026 season

Jerry Markarian — 1the room — 28 calls from 18 punditsmedian 1

Every dot is a call somebody published on the same question. Where the dots land says where this take sits, not whether it is right — nothing here is settled yet. Hover a dot for the name and number; click it to read that take.

Their call against the room

1They said

1The room (18 pundits)

Their call against everyone else's, while this is still unsettled.

Depth Chart Calls Tyson Bagent Chicago Bears
Tyson Bagent to be 1st on the depth chart
VerdictWaiting
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
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Others on the same people

John Middlekauff · Draft Bust Calls · Caleb Williams · Miss 0
Middlekauff expects either Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson to win this year's MVP, calling them the two best players in the league. They are pessimistic on the Bears, forecasting six or seven wins and saying they'd bet Caleb Williams doesn't work out as a franchise quarterback. They also see Oklahoma's John Mattier as a first-round pick who'll be in the Heisman mix.
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