On Tuesday, the Chicago Bears made the difficult decision to waive rookie quarterback Austin Reed in order to cut down to their 53-man roster. But that doesn’t mean that Reed’s time with the organization is necessarily done just yet.
Reed was largely seen as a longshot to make the roster, coming into the year as an undrafted free agent. His battle with the likes of Tyson Bagent and Brett Rypien for the No. 2 quarterback job was widely documented on the hit HBO show Hard Knocks.
Ultimately, Bagent won out over both Reed and Rypien. But instead of completely parting ways with Reed, the Bears have opted to bring him back via the practice squad, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
The #Bears are re-signing QB Austin Reed to the practice squad, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 28, 2024
Reed will essentially serve as the team’s No. 3 quarterback from a distance, as it seems like the organization is comfortable with only two quarterbacks on their active roster.
This is somewhat promising for his future in the NFL, as he will remain in the building and work to learn how the NFL operates.
In college, Reed made his mark in a major way at Western Kentucky, throwing for a combined 8,086 yards and 71 touchdowns in his two years as the starter.
Only time will tell whether Reed will ever get a chance to show off his skills in an NFL regular season game. But at the very least, the Bears have seen enough to keep him in the building.
