Brett Rypien opened the NFL preseason with a stunning performance for the Chicago Bears in the Hall of Fame Game, then reflected on his time in the Windy City in equally eyebrow-raising fashion after joining the Minnesota Vikings.
Rypien was among the players Chicago cut on its way to a 53-man roster, shortly after which he inked a deal with Minnesota. The Vikings’ current depth chart lists Rypien as the third-string QB behind Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens.
Producers of the HBO series “Hard Knocks,” which featured the Bears this summer, accompanied Rypien on his way out of town and asked him for his parting thoughts on the organization as he prepared to join one of its chief rivals.
“This team is gonna do special things this year,” Rypien said of the Bears. “There’s a lot of special people in that building.”
Brett Rypien Has Better Chance to Play for Vikings Than Bears
Rypien was one of those special people after trouncing the Houston Texans defense to the tune of 166 passing yards and 3 TDs on 11-of-15 passing on August 1.
However, as time went on, Tyson Bagent separated himself as the clear backup to the obvious starter Caleb Williams, whom the Bears selected with the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft.
There was a spot for Rypien on Chicago’s practice squad, but the veteran journeyman landed on Minnesota instead. There, he has a roster spot and a theoretically better chance to see meaningful playing time at some point during the upcoming season.
Darnold is a former No. 3 overall pick who has all but busted across three teams over six years in the league. He has the best chance he’s ever had to revive his career this year with the Vikings, but his body of work suggests that he will struggle a good amount even with a talented set of skill players around him.
Mullens has a bit more experience than Rypien as a starter, though the two have had similar career arcs. Mullens played in five games and started three for the Vikings last year, putting up 1,306 passing yards and 7 TDs in the process. However, he also threw 8 INTs and led the team to an 0-3 record.
Meanwhile, for his career, Rypien is 2-2 as a starter across 10 regular-season appearances. He has amassed 950 passing yards, 4 TDs and 9 INTs over that span, per Pro Football Reference.
Caleb Williams to Start First Game for Bears Against Titans on Sunday
Meanwhile, in Chicago, the Bears are preparing for Williams’ first game as a professional.
The 22-year-old will start at home against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, September 8. He spoke about the rapidly-approaching challenge with media members on Wednesday.
“We’re not hunting ghosts of things they may run or may not run,” Williams said, per Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic. “They’ve got guys on the other side. Landry, 98 (Simmons), Sneed, Diggs from Seattle. … Noon on Sunday, we’ll be able to see what they’re actually doing.”
