From afar, the Bears may have looked silly on Sunday afternoon. While P.J. Walker was leading the Cleveland Browns to a victory over the unbeaten San Francisco 49ers, they were left with undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent at quarterback after Justin Fields dislocated his thumb.

But the Bears were thinking about their future when they released Walker in late August, not how best to beat Minnesota in Week 6. General Manager Ryan Poles saw enough from Bagent in the training camp and pre-season games he didn’t mind paying Walker $2 million when he released him less than six months after signing him.

Poles and the Bears’ ownership group faces a decision with Fields after this season. It’s unclear if they will commit to him as a long-term piece or look to use their envious draft standing — they have both their own and 0-6 Carolina’s first-round picks —to turn to one of the top college quarterbacks, most likely USC’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye. But their due diligence also includes being open to potential surprises, which is where Bagent comes in.

The seemingly minor injury that has the Bears listing Fields as doubtful for Sunday’s game against Las Vegas provides an opportunity to evaluate Bagent. He was the NCAA’s all-time leader in touchdown passes while playing for Division II Shepherd University and made a connection with offensive coordinator Luke Getsy at the Senior Bowl.

Bagent outplayed Walker in the preseason, completing 20 of 29 passes for 156 yards while running for another 25 yards and two touchdowns. He made two big mistakes after relieving Fields in the third quarterback — he was victimized by a strip-sack in his first series and threw an interception on the Bears’ final possession in the 19-13 loss — but did not look overmatched, completing 10 of 14 passes for 83 yards.

“He’s cool, calm, collected,” coach Matt Eberflus told reporters after the game. “You could see that out there. He was that way the entire time. He had good command in terms of getting the plays and getting the plays out … We really like where he is.”

Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy told the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs that it’s “crazy” that Bagent played his way into an NFL game as a Division II quarterback. “I want to give my props to him,” Murphy said. “He came in and did his thing.”

Bagent has been remarkably poised since he first laced up his cleats at Halas Hall. He was carrying more experience than any other quarterback in the 2023 draft, having played 53 games at Shepherd. He passed for 17,034 yards and 159 touchdowns while throwing only 48 interceptions.

Bagent could have transferred from Shepherd to a high-profile college program but remained at the small school in West Virginia by family ties, including to a grandparent who was in poor health. After his record-setting career, he turned down offers elsewhere to take a three-year deal with the Bears for only $25,000 guaranteed because he felt he would have the best chance to get long-term consideration in Chicago.

That looks like a good call.

Barring the revelation of ligament damage that could require surgery, this is not expected to be an extended absence for Fields. He’ll get another spin in what is becoming an awkward evaluation period in the near future. Bagent will take any chance he can get, including the start on Sunday.