The Chicago Bears have cut ties with one of their veteran edge rushers just one day after his season debut during Week 4’s victory over the New York Jets.
According to the NFL’s daily transaction wire, the Bears released veteran defensive end Marcus Davenport from their practice squad on Monday, October 5.
The Bears had signed Davenport — a 2018 first-round pick — midway through training camp and stashed him on their practice squad after roster cuts, intending to ramp him up until he was ready to step into a contributor role for Dennis Allen’s defense.
Davenport made minimal impact against the Jets in his first elevation of the season, though, generating one pressure and an assisted tackle in 12 defensive snaps. He also received poor Pro Football Focus grades as a run defender (44.2) and overall (45.3).
The Bears could have stuck with Davenport, who played the first several seasons of his career under Allen in New Orleans and had two more elevation opportunities.
Per The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs, though, Davenport requested his release from the Bears’ 16-man practice squad, motivating their decision to move on.
Bears’ Impending Return May Have Cost Marcus Davenport
Davenport is now on his way out of Chicago less than two months after signing, but the Bears may have simply seen him as a redundancy with one of their young edge rushers expectedly nearing his return from the injury list to the 53-man roster.
Defensive end Shemar Turner — a 2025 second-round pick — is entering his third week back at practice for the Bears as he continues to work his way back from the ACL tear that prematurely ended his rookie season in Week 8 last November.
While Turner is still on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, the Bears designated him for return to practice on September 23 and will reach the end of their 21-day window to activate him to the 53-man roster next week, signaling his impending return.
Once Turner returns, the Bears will have six edge rushers on their active roster — assuming that they do not release either Daniel Hardy or Jamree Kromah to make room for Turner’s return. Even if they do, five is more than enough to no longer need Daveport.
Could Bears Add Another Edge Rusher at Trade Deadline?
The Bears will finally have their edge-rusher room back at full strength once Turner returns to the 53-man roster, which will give them a chance to see if their gamble at the position — making no outside additions in the offseason — can pay off for their defense.
Could they still explore upgrades before the NFL trade deadline, though?
The Bears will play five more games before the trade deadline arrives on November 10, giving them ample time to see how well the unit meshes once Turner is back in the fold. They are already seeing strong results, too, with the eighth-best pass-rush win rate in the league (55%) through their first three games, according to ESPN.
The big question will be health. The Bears lost Dayo Odeyingbo and Turner at roughly the midseason point in 2025, depleting their edge-rushing crew substantially. While everyone (minus Turner) is healthy for now, a lot can change in five games.
A big swing likely isn’t in the cards for Chicago, though.
According to Over the Cap, the Bears have roughly $7.3 million in remaining cap space, limiting their options for adding a major player — such as Maxx Crosby — to their roster. That does not mean they won’t have options, but a huge splash is highly unlikely.
The deadline for the Bears to make trades will arrive at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, November 10.
Bears Cut Ties With Veteran Edge Rusher One Day After Jets Victory