Former Bears quarterback earns his first starting opportunity, and gives Chicago fans someone to root for in spring football
Austin Reed will be starting for the UFL’s Dallas Renegades on Saturday.
The UFL spring season will kick off this weekend, giving football fans a nice fix during the NFL offseason. Numerous former NFL and college standouts will be competing this season to keep their professional careers alive and maybe draw some interest to get back on an NFL roster.
Chicago Bears fans will recognize a few different former players and preseason standouts such as running back Ian Wheeler, who will be playing for Louisville Kings. And there’s another former Bears preseason standout fans should expect to see a lot of this spring after a stunning announcement.
Dallas Renegades names Austin Reed as the opening day starter at quarterback
Former Bears undrafted free agent quarterback Austin Reed was named as the opening day starter for the Dallas Renegades after beating out spring football legend Luis Perez. Perez is the Renegades all-time leading passer and even led the team to a 2023 XFL Championship win.
It was a close competition, but head coach Rick Neuheisel is giving the nod to Reed for the start of the 2026 season, although both quarterbacks are expected to play on Saturday in the team’s season opener against the Houston Gamblers.
Reed spent two seasons in Chicago before signing with the Renegades. In 2024, he showed some nice things during the preseason, enough to remain on the practice squad and return in 2025 under head coach Ben Johnson. He had another solid camp but limited preseason action last fall after playing behind Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, and Case Keenum.
Throughout the two preseason stints, Reed completed 23 of his 33 passes for 229 yards with one touchdown and zero interceptions. While it was limited reps, Reed still was able to draw high compliments from both coaching staffs, even if he ultimately wasn’t retained on the practice squad for the 2025 season under the new staff.
“I see a lot of myself in Austin,” Johnson said of Reed last May. “Young guy that just needs a shot and is hungry, doesn’t get a lot of reps but makes the most of it when he can.”
Reed got plenty of development in Chicago after being a old-school gun-slinger at Western Kentucky and spending a year under a coach like Johnson was the best thing for his young career. Now, he finally gets the shot he needed to prove himself starting on Saturday.
Bears fans should be rooting hard for this guy and wishing him nothing but the best over the next few weeks after finally earning a starting opportunity for himself.
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His starting opportunity will likely have to wait for at least another season.
