Bears Trade Proposal Offloads $30 Million Benched Starter to Colts

Getty Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.

The Chicago Bears might still be able to find use for benched former starter Nate Davis and the remainder of his $30 million contract for the 2024 season — if they can find a trade partner for him before the nearing NFL trade deadline.

Davis has fallen out with the Bears over the first six weeks of the 2024 season. The team benched him from his starting job at right guard in favor of veteran Matt Pryor heading into Week 3’s game against the Indianapolis Colts. The Bears then demoted Davis from his depth role for Week 6’s game in London, keeping Bill Murray active instead of him.

While the Bears seem comfortable with their interior offensive line depth without Davis in the mix, though, other teams struggling to man the inside of their line could take an interest in the 28-year-old guard before October 5’s trade deadline given his experience.

Bleacher Report’s Scouting Department even urged the Colts to take a swing on Davis, proposing they could trade for him as a replacement for starting right guard Will Fries, who landed on the injured reserve list on October 7 following his tibia surgery.

“Elsewhere, Nate Davis was just benched in Chicago,” BR’s Scouting Department wrote on October 14. “The Bears might be willing to part with the veteran after he failed to live up to his contract. It’s not the most ideal scenario for the Colts, but Davis is at least an experienced veteran with a decent baseline of production.”

Bears Left Nate Davis Inactive for Win Over Jaguars

If the Colts wanted Davis, the Bears would most likely not demand a steep trade price. They might even be willing to settle for a late Day 3 draft pick if it relieves them of the financial burden of Davis’ contract — which runs through the end of the 2025 season.

The real question, though, is: Why would any team consider trading for Davis?

Davis has started 67 of his 71 career games since coming into the NFL as a third-round pick in 2019, so he has the experience — at least, superficially — that a team could want to reinforce the interior of its offensive line. It speaks volumes, though, that the Bears are unwilling to play Davis despite their unsteady play on the interior and the heaps of money they are paying him. Davis has a $11.35 million cap hit for the 2024 season.

The biggest indictment of Davis’ value is the Bears’ most recent decision to leave him inactive for Week 6’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Davis had already lost his starting job before the matchup, but the Bears chose to trust Murray — who just played his first career NFL game in Week 5 — as their backup guard instead of Davis.

Maybe a team like the Colts is desperate enough to take a shot on Davis, but it is hard to imagine anyone looking at his situation in Chicago and thinking he is worth acquiring.

Could Bears Consider Releasing Nate Davis Instead?

The Bears have already taken a few steps toward making Davis obsolete for their line, but it could get even easier to sit him when they emerge from their bye week in Week 8.

As of October 15, both guard/center Ryan Bates and offensive Larry Borom are eligible to be activated from the injured reserve list for the Bears. The team has not designated either one to return to practice — the first step in the activation process — but they will have roughly two weeks to make those decisions before playing in their next game.

If they do active Bates before Week 8’s game against the Washington Commanders, the Bears will have essentially run out of reasons to keep Davis active on game days. And if that is the case, it begs the question: Should the Bears just release Davis instead?

The Bears would not save much money if they released Davis, but they may feel it is still their best decision if they want to use his roster spot on someone who can contribute to their team. They would also save $9.5 million against the salary cap in 2025 with the move; although, they would save the same amount if they waited until the offseason.

The Bears could also justify the move if they feel Davis is negatively impacting their team culture. The Athletic’s Adam Hoge reported in September that the team had grown “frustrated” with Davis’ practice habits — which is to say he does not like to practice. If Davis isn’t good enough to play and has attitude problems, the Bears could simply cut bait as they did with wide receiver Chase Claypool during the 2023 season.