The Chicago Bears have brought in a veteran free-agent pass rusher with ties to Dennis Allen for a closer look amid the injury absence of star Montez Sweat.
According to the NFL’s daily transaction wire for August 16, the Bears hosted former New Orleans Saints first-round pick and defensive end Marcus Davenport on Sunday for an official free-agent visit, indicating the team could soon add another pass rusher.
Davenport has struggled to stay healthy over his last three seasons with other teams in the NFC North, missing 37 combined games due to injuries for the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings and notching only 3.5 sacks across the 14 games he spent available.
Before joining the Vikings in 2023, though, Davenport found success in Allen’s system in New Orleans, recording 21.5 sacks and 60 quarterback hits over his first five seasons with the Saints. He also forced seven fumbles, working primarily as a right-side end.
Perhaps a reunion in Chicago could suit both Davenport and the Bears, who remain in the market for more pass-rushing depth — especially with Sweat slowed by an injury.
Marcus Davenport Could Offer Low-Cost Rotational Depth
While Davenport’s ugly injury history is hard to ignore, the Bears may feel he is one of their better remaining veteran depth options, given his ties to Allen and their finances.
Financially speaking, the Bears are not in a position to pursue an expensive edge rusher in either free agency or on the trade market. According to Over the Cap, Chicago sits at just $4.29 million in available cap space for the 2026 season as of August 16, and while they have a few moves they could make to clear more, it wouldn’t move the needle far.
In other words, Maxx Crosby won’t be coming to Chicago anytime soon, even if the Las Vegas Raiders decide to open up their phone lines and hold a trade sweepstakes again.
Davenport shouldn’t cost much more than the veteran minimum, though, after missing so much time over the past three seasons. The Lions paid him just $2.5 million for his services in 2025, and his risk is only climbing as he prepares to turn 30 in September.
The effect of a familiar system and play-caller should also not be understated. While the Bears would have no guarantees that reuniting Davenport with Allen would allow him to bounce back into his early-career form, Allen has experience scheming him effective pass-rushing looks and may have insights to help him produce as a rotational piece.
The Bears might still pass on Davenport, but it would make sense if they didn’t.
Bears Expect Montez Sweat to Return to Practice Soon
While Davenport could help reinforce Chicago’s pass-rush depth with another veteran presence, the Bears don’t expect their top pass rusher, Sweat, to miss much more time.
After his team’s 34-10 preseason win over the Cleveland Browns on August 15, Bears head coach Ben Johnson told reporters that he anticipates Sweat could return to practice this week after missing roughly the past two weeks with a groin injury.
“Sooner, sooner, sooner, sooner,” Johnson said Saturday when asked how soon he anticipates Sweat back at practice. “Like, within this week.”
The Bears have not indicated throughout Sweat’s injury absence that he is dealing with a major issue, but the team should still benefit from returning its star pass rusher as Allen works on putting together a more effective pass-rushing unit in the new season.
Sweat had his best season yet for the Bears in 2025, leading the team with 10 sacks, but the defense as a whole ranked near the bottom of the league in several major pass-rush categories, including second-to-last in pass-rush win rate (29%), per ESPN Analytics.
Bears Host Ex-Saints Veteran Pass Rusher for Visit Amid Star’s Injury