Chicago Bears backup Tyson Bagant has front-row seats to Caleb Wiliams’ debut season.
The second-year quarterback went 2-2 as a starter when Justin Fields went down last season.
Bagent started four games as a rookie
Williams was drafted to be the future of the Bears franchise with the No.1 pick in this year’s draft.
He came under fire after a slow start to his NFL career, but torched the Carolina Panthers secondary for 300 yards and two scores on 20 completions in Week 5.
Now he takes on a vulnerable Jacksonville Jaguars defense in London on Sunday, and Bagent thinks his teammate is rapidly adjusting to life in the NFL.
“I’m a fan of guys that work really hard and he works hard, this team works hard,” he said.
“I’ve been having a great time, helping him how much I can and watching him – I’m able to learn a lot from him too.
“I think repetition is the mother of all learning. I think he’s got a lot of reps under his belt at this point and you can see him just becoming more and more comfortable with everything going on.”
Bagant’s father Travis is a legend on the arm wrestling circuit as a 28-time world champion.
Tyson puts in plenty of work in the gym, but has not been tempted to challenge Williams‘ arm off the field.
“No, I think both of our arms are too important for that,” he told talkSPORT at the Bears‘ UK HQ just outside London.
“So none of that, but off the field anytime we’ve hung out or been around each other, it’s just been great.
“When we got here obviously we didn’t want to fall straight asleep because we knew that would mess up our daily routine.
Bagent has the Welsh word for family on his chestTyson Bagent
Williams will hope to take center stage on Sunday
“We were able to tour a little bit on Tuesday and looking to do that again.”
Bagent’s grandfather, who tragically passed away a few years ago, comes from Maentwrog – a village of 600 people across the border in Wales.
He has two tattoos written in the Welsh language, including teulu – the word for family.
And he said he would love to visit the land of his ancestors one day.
“I think there will be a time when I definitely want to be more connected to my family roots and where we come from,” he added.
“So that’s definitely something I’m looking forward to.”
The Jaguars’ flight to London was delayed by Hurricane Milton, meaning they arrived later than expected on Friday.
Lewis has played in London six times
Their opponents landed on Tuesday and tight end Marcedes Lewis – who caught three TDs for the Jags in the UK capital in 2022 – thinks that gives them an advantage.
“It takes a few days for your body to adjust,” he said.
“We’ve given ourselves a really good chance. This year the process has been all hands on deck making sure we have everything we need.
“We’ve had a few team outings, golf, pool, karaoke.
“I think me DJ (Moore) and Keenan (Allen) are the karaoke kings.”
Lewis revealed he was a big fan of 90s R&B when on the mic as the NFL’s third-oldest player at 40.
But Bagent insisted he was the karaoke star of the team.
“Whatever the audience wants,” he joked when asked what his go-to tune was.
The Bears will not mind who can hit the right notes, as long as Williams takes center stage on Sunday.
The NFL is back in London this weekend and talkSPORT 2 will be live at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium bringing you exclusive commentary of the Jacksonville Jaguars up against the Chicago Bears!
All the build up and exclusive interviews from 2pm on Sunday ahead of Kick Off with the former Pittsburgh Steelers Tight End Christian Scotland-Williamson part of our commentary team. You will also be able to see the team if you head to our ‘talkSPORT Endzone Youtube Channel’ as they will be hosting a live watchalong from the stadium with plenty of extra content! That’s the Jacksonville Jaguars vs the Chicago Bears live over on talkSPORT 2 this Sunday Afternoon from 2pm!
You can listen to talkSPORT 2 on your DAB, via the talkSPORT App or simply ask your smart speaker to play talkSPORT 2!