Brett Rypien

ANALYSIS
Rypien was signed by the Vikings in late August after failing to make the Bears' 53-man roster at the conclusion of training camp. He spent the entire regular season as the third-string emergency quarterback behind Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens, but Rypien was waived by Minnesota on Jan. 7 to make room on the roster for Daniel Jones. Rypien was brought back to the practice squad two days later, and now that's under a futures contract, he'll be a part of the Vikings' 90-man roster when the new league year starts March 12. That will allow him to work with Minnesota's coaching and training staff during the offseason and participate in OTAs, minicamp and training camp. Rypien has appeared in 10 regular-season games since being signed by the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in April of 2019.

ANALYSIS
Rypien signed with the Bears at the start of free agency after spending last season with the Rams, but until Thursday night, he was thought to be a clear No. 3 behind Bagent, who impressed during multiple spot starts as a rookie in 2023. The perception may have shifted at least slightly with Rypien's near-perfect performance, one that saw him in clear command of his new team's offense on his way to tossing a trio of touchdown passes. Bagent was only in on Chicago's first possession Thursday, but he'll presumably have appreciably more opportunities to showcase his skills in the job battle over the final three exhibitions.