Bears Send Clear Message on Nate Davis’ Future Amid Latest Injury

The Chicago Bears have needed to adjust their offensive line over the past few practices to accommodate for Nate Davis missing time with a new injury, but Davis is not currently in danger of losing his job as their starting right guard.

Davis missed his second practice on July 29 as he continues to recover from what head coach Matt Eberflus described only as a “strain” that flared up during July 27’s session. His status is considered “day-to-day,” but it is unclear how long it might take for him to return to the field given how little the Bears have disclosed about what is ailing him.

In the meantime, the Bears have pressed pause on their competition between Ryan Bates and Coleman Shelton for the starting center job and moved Bates over to right guard to fill in for Davis with the first-team offense. Consequently, Shelton has taken over the primary center job with the starters while the team awaits Davis’ return.

For now, though, the Bears plan to return to the status quo when Davis is healthy enough to return to the field again and have no plans yet to bench him as a starter.

“Right now, we’re looking at all the guys. I know Nate has been out right now, so that was more of an injury thing than a competition thing,” Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron told reporters on July 29 when asked about the right guard position, clarifying that, when healthy, “Nate’s still there [as the starter].”

Nate Davis Struggled During 2023 Season in Chicago

A setback for Davis this early into training camp does not bode well for him coming off a disappointing first season with the Bears in 2023. They signed him to a three-year, $30 million contract in 2023 free agency in hopes that he could provide the interior of their offensive line with more stability, but he struggled to do so for a variety of reasons.

The first reason was not Davis’ fault. As ESPN’s Courtney Cronin reported last season, Davis missed time during the preseason and training camp as he dealt with “personal” matters related to the illness of a close family member. Those matters turned to tragedy ahead of the team’s Week 2 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when the family member passed away, leading to Davis not playing in either of the next two games.

The other issues, however, are injury-related and can be held more critically against Davis even if they are not necessarily his fault. He suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 6’s matchup with the Minnesota Vikings that caused him to drop out after just 10 snaps and led to him missing the next four games (Weeks 7 through 10).

Davis returned to the lineup as a full-time starter in Week 11 and played every snap in six consecutive games down the stretch, but he ended on a sour note with a foot injury that knocked him out of the team’s season finale against Green Bay after 13 snaps.

As if the injuries weren’t bad enough, Davis also struggled when healthy for the Bears. He allowed the most quarterback hits (seven) and third-most pressures (29) among the Bears’ offensive linemen in 2023 while playing the sixth-most passing-blocking snaps (384). He also earned the lowest overall Pro Football Focus grade of his career (52.9).

Nate Davis Injury Tests Bears’ Offensive Line Depth

The Bears may have a tough decision to make with Davis down the line. He is too expensive to cut in 2024 as the Bears would incur a dead-cap hit of $10.75 million and only save about $600,000 in cap space with the maneuver. But cutting Davis becomes much more reasonable in 2025 ($2 million in dead cap) if he does not live up this year.

From a glass-half-full perspective, though, the Bears can make use of Davis’ absence in training camp to properly assess the interior depth of their offensive line — something that they put effort into improving during the 2024 offseason with trades and signings.

The Bears finally acquired Bates from the Buffalo Bills in March after trying multiple times over the past two years to get him. While the Bears sought him out primarily for his ability to play center, they also appreciated his versatility as someone who can also play guard when necessary and felt he could be a valuable asset for their offensive line.

The Bears likely did not expect to lean on Bates’ versatility so quickly into camp, but it offers them a good opportunity to test their contingency plan ahead of the 2024 season. Part of that contingency plan is also Shelton, who will have more opportunities to show how capable he is as a potential starting center for the duration of Davis’ absence.

Davis’ injury also frees up more reps for third-year guard Ja’Tyre Carter and offseason veteran signing Matt Pryor, who are each trying to win spots on the 53-man roster. The Bears may keep both of them when they make their cut decisions in late August, but more practice reps for them now gives them a clearer picture of their capabilities.