Bears ‘Frustrated’ With Habits of Struggling Nate Davis: Report

Getty Bears general manager Ryan Poles.

The Chicago Bears have grown frustrated with starting right guard Nate Davis amid his struggles over the first two games of the 2024 season — but there is not much they can do about it, at least for the time being.

During September 17’s episode of The Athletic’s “Scoop City” podcast, CHGO’s Adam Hoge reported the team grew “frustrated” with Davis “not practicing” during training camp and suggested the team wanted to replace him with trade acquisition Ryan Bates before the latter sustained an injury and landed on the injured reserve list in Week 2.

“Since training camp started, it’s been a disaster,” Hoge said of the situation with Davis, starting at roughly the 42-minute mark in the episode. “He doesn’t like to practice. The Bears are frustrated with him not practicing. And I think he was going to lose that starting job at right guard to Ryan Bates, but Ryan Bates got hurt.

“So, Nate Davis is out there by default. They’ve got nobody else there to put in, even though I don’t think they want to play him.”

The Bears are essentially out of options if they feel Davis is performing below standard. Bates is not eligible for activation until Week 6’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London at the earliest. They could turn instead to veteran Matt Pryor or Bill Murray, but it is possible neither would make the situation better than the higher-paid Davis.

“The interior of the offensive line is probably the least sexy thing to talk about when it comes to football, but right now for the Bears, it’s their biggest problem,” Hoge said.

Can Nate Davis Stabilize for Bears in Coming Weeks?

Hoge’s report about how the Bears have soured on Davis is not overly surprising. He missed the majority of his first training camp with the team in 2023 and then did not play in six games due to injuries and personal reasons. Even when he did play, Davis struggled to consistently live up to the value of his three-year, $30 million contract.

Things have been better for Davis in some respects through the first two games of 2024. He finished as the Bears’ highest-graded offensive player (73.7) in Week 1’s win over the Tennessee Titans, but he also only played 18 snaps at right guard while Bates played 38 and still allowed one pressure and one quarterback hurry in his reduced snaps.

In Week 2, Davis played surprisingly well in the first half against the Houston Texans, but his performance took a nosedive after halftime when his mental errors and low effort started adding up. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed one sack and four pressures in a brutal night for Chicago’s offensive line (20 pressures and seven sacks). Davis also committed two false-start penalties, including one that set up 3rd-and-long.

The real question now is: Can Davis stabilize and start putting together complete-game performances for the Bears at a time when they have no choice but to trust him? How he answers — on the field — will likely define the remainder of his time in Chicago.

Nate Davis’ Contract Makes Him Difficult to Cut Loose

Davis has a chance to save his job if he starts performing for the Bears’ interior in the coming weeks while Bates recovers from his injury. Even if Davis continues to struggle and the Bears eventually bench him, though, his contract makes it highly unlikely the team would cut him from its 53-man roster until the 2025 offseason, at the earliest.

The Bears would save less than $1 million in salary-cap space if they released Davis. Though he might seem like a liability at times, it would be foolish for the Bears to ditch his experience even if they decide later that he makes more sense as a bench player. After all, it is extremely difficult to find veteran guard help during the regular season.

Now, 2025? That is a much more reasonable cut estimate for Davis.

Davis will carry an $11.5 million cap hit for the 2025 season, but the Bears can turn $9.5 million of it into cap savings if they release him during the offseason. At this point, he would probably need a Pro Bowl turnaround over the next 15 games for the Bears to consider keeping him on the 2025 roster, but that might not even help him if Hoge’s report about his practice habits is true.