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Does Nate Davis have to worry about his job security with the Chicago Bears?
Questions about whether the team’s starting right guard could be benched have popped up with relative frequency since the beginning of training camp.
Davis missed multiple weeks during the preseason after reaggravating a soft tissue injury, also dealing with other minor ailments. This came on the heels of a questionable first season with the team in 2023. After inking a three-year, $30 million contract with Chicago last offseason, Davis missed 6 games with a high ankle sprain.
Some fans are wondering — and with good reason — whether Davis might be starting his second year with the team on paper thin ice. The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs, a longtime team insider, was asked in his September 4 Q&A column whether Davis was currently “on a short leash.”
“The Bears expect Davis to play good football,” Biggs wrote, adding: “If he doesn’t, they have enough depth to swap him out. But I would bet top dollar that offensive line coach Chris Morgan really hopes he doesn’t have to make any changes in the near future. If he were a baseball manager, he would have worn out a path from the dugout to the pitcher’s mound because of the constant back-and-forth.”
Brad Biggs: Bears Don’t Want to Bench RG Nate Davis
“The Bears head into the season hoping for continuity on the offensive line, which has been fleeting the last several seasons. If they can avoid making changes, they might have a chance to grow and improve,” Biggs noted.
The 27-year-old Davis has two more years left on the contract he signed with Chicago in 2023. If he doesn’t remain healthy and stay on the field, he’ll likely be gone by the end of the 2024 season. Whether the team benches him will also depend on the health of the offensive line.
We’re just over a month removed from Bears head coach Matt Eberflus putting Davis on notice.
“People say you can’t lose a job because of injury. I don’t think that’s true,” Eberflus said. “I think if the guy that’s playing there gives our team a good look and a good benefit for him being in that position, then it’s a competition. Or the other guy could take it over. That’s not just at guard. That’s at all positions.”
General manager Ryan Poles also recently called on Davis to become a more dependable player, so it’s clear the veteran right guard’s seat is warm at the very least.
Davis Says He’s Ready to Show He’s a ‘Special Player’
In 384 pass block snaps for the Bears last season, Davis allowed 21 hurries, 7 quarterback hits and a sack, according to Pro Football Focus. He was also flagged six times, although five of those penalties were either offset or declined.
Davis started 54 games over his first four seasons with the Tennessee Titans, but durability issues also popped up for him in that span. He missed four games in 2019, three games in 2021 and five games in 2022.
Behind Davis on the depth chart are vets Bill Murray and versatile OL Ryan Bates. It’ll be up to Davis to maintain his starting RG job throughout the year.
For his part, the Bears RG has heard the rumblings about his dependability, and he says he’s ready to prove the doubters wrong.
“When the mind is right, the body is good, I know I am a special player,” Davis said on August 15. “I’m just excited to showcase that.”
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