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The Chicago Bears will not have starting right guard Nate Davis back on the practice field anytime soon after downgrading his injury status this week.
Davis has not practiced as a full participant since initially straining his leg in individual drills during July 27’s practice. The Bears had planned to start working him back into the fold on August 4 as part of a designed ramp-up period, but he dropped out again during individual drills with what head coach Matt Eberflus revealed to be a setback.
Davis has now returned to the sideline and sat out during the Bears’ last three practices.
“Yeah, he came back. We had him back in there … and then he felt it again,” Eberflus said on August 8. “He’s dealing with some soft-tissue stuff, so we had to bring him back down and take him out. We’ll start that process over and see where it goes.”
Eberflus also confirmed that Davis is now considered “week-to-week” with his injury, a change from his previous “day-to-day” status. Unfortunately for the Bears, Davis’ status leaves them without one of their key offensive line starters for the foreseeable future as they continue experimenting with the lineup to find their best five for the 2024 season.
The Bears will open the 2024 season against the Tennessee Titans on September 8.
Will Bears Keep Ryan Bates at RG Without Nate Davis?
The Bears have needed to adapt without Davis on the practice field. In some practices, they have asked one of their backups — mainly 27-year-old standout Bill Murray — to take reps at right guard with the first-team offense. They have also called upon one of their more capable veterans, Ryan Bates, to hold down the position despite their desire to have Bates compete with Coleman Shelton for their starting center job in 2024.
With Davis now expected to miss more time, though, could the Bears commit to moving Bates over to right guard and move forward with him as their intended Week 1 starter?
The Bears traded a 2024 fifth-round pick to get Bates from the Buffalo Bills in March, acquiring a versatile interior offensive lineman that general manager Ryan Poles had tried multiple times to land in the previous two offseasons. Initially, they intended for him to compete for the center job, but his versatility — he has played 843 career snaps at right guard — has become especially important as the team endures without Davis.
Bates has taken extensive snaps at right guard during Davis’ absence while Shelton — who started 30 games at center for the Rams over the past two seasons — has slid into the starting center role by default. Presumably, the Bears would prefer to let Bates and Shelton continue duking it out at center, but they may not have the luxury if they want to find a consistent alignment for rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and their offense.
The Bears plan to play their starters in their second preseason game against the Bills on August 10, so whichever alignment they trot out first could hint at their plans.
Bears Also Share Injury Updates on Other Starters
The Bears also shared some positive injury updates on August 8 about a few of their other injured starters who have missed time in camp over the past few weeks.
Kyler Gordon, the team’s primary slot cornerback, has missed the majority of camp with unspecified “tightness,” but Eberflus said he is progressing and that the team feels like Gordon is “close” to returning to the practice field in a full capacity.
“It’s a work in progress,” Eberflus said. “We’re getting close. We feel good where he is. Again, this is something in training that he did and then just kind of came in with it [at the start of camp]. So we’re just making sure that it is right.
“There’s a delicate balance here because we have to make sure it’s right but also that he’s working diligently to get back because we know we have to have that conditioning level, that playing with the other players in terms of the continuity for that unit to be able to thrive the way we want it to, so we have to get him back as soon as possible.”
A back injury has also sidelined Bears long snapper Patrick Scales in recent practices; though, like with Gordon, Eberflus indicated he should return to the field soon.
“Patrick is dealing with a little bit of soft-tissue stuff with his back area, so he’s working through that right now and he’s on track [to return],” Eberflus said.
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