With each passing week, the Chicago Bears seem more likely to cut ties with guard Nate Davis before the end of his three-year, $30 million contract — and one longtime Bears insider is calling out the writing on the wall.
In his “10 Thoughts on Week 4” column for September 30, Bears insider Brad Biggs dedicated an entire bullet point to Davis and the likelihood that Chicago will move on from him after the 2024 season. Biggs specifically wrote that “it’s likely the Bears will part ways with him after the season” unless he experienced a “complete turnaround.”
“Davis is signed through the 2025 season but guaranteed money in the deal is up at the end of this year and it’s easy to speculate which direction this is headed for him,” Biggs wrote in Monday’s column. “What [general manager Ryan] Poles and the Bears cannot afford is to be swayed into a contract they aren’t totally comfortable with for Teven Jenkins to avoid heading into the offseason potentially needing two starting guards.
While Biggs’ larger point is about Jenkins — a 2025 free agent — and how the Bears cannot afford to “misevaluate or overvalue” him when weighing a possible extension, he based his argument about Jenkins on the assumption that Davis is playing too poorly to justify sticking around in Chicago — which is telling about the 28-year-old’s future.
The Bears could release Davis for $9.5 million in cap savings during the 2025 offseason.
Bears Benched Nate Davis for Matt Pryor in Week 3
Davis struggled with injuries and inconsistent play — and a death in the family — during his rough first season with the Bears in 2023. Not only did Davis miss the majority of training camp, but he also missed six games during the regular season, making Poles’ new front office look foolish for investing so much in him while rebuilding the line.
Still, optimism rose around the Bears as they entered a new quarterback era with No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams during the 2024 offseason. Davis had struggled, but some thought he deserved one more chance to prove he could be better. In May, Pro Football Focus even named Davis the Bears’ top bounce-back candidate for the 2024 season.
Three months later, Davis is in a downward spiral with the Bears. He missed several practices in camp with an injury, which led to a report from CHGO’s Adam Hoge about how the Bears had grown “frustrated” with Davis’ practice habits. The Bears then tried to rotate Davis with veteran Ryan Bates in Week 1’s season opener, seemingly looking to replace Davis with Bates — but not doing so after Bates suffered an injury in the game.
Davis played all 70 offensive snaps in Week 2’s loss to the Houston Texans, but his inconsistent performance prompted another change in Week 3. The Bears benched Davis and started Matt Pryor — who had signed a veteran-minimum deal with Chicago in March — in his place at right guard, a change that stuck for Week 4’s home game.
The Bears have not said much negative about Davis to the media, but it speaks volumes they are willing to leave him on the bench with his $8.75 million guaranteed salary.
Can Nate Davis Stabilize Enough to Stay in Chicago?
Regardless of whether the Bears like it, Davis could be back in the starting lineup for Week 5’s game against the Carolina Panthers if Jenkins’ injury keeps him sidelined.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus told reporters on September 30 that Jenkins suffered a bruised rib during the first quarter of Week 4’s win over the Los Angeles Rams and is now day-to-day with his injury. During the game, the Bears adjusted by moving Pryor over to left guard to cover for Jenkins and putting Davis back in at right guard — and that could end up being their Week 5 alignment if Jenkins is unable to play Sunday.
If Jenkins missed time, the Bears would still have the option to move away from Davis again as early as Week 6 when Bates is first eligible to return from injured reserve, but they may have no choice but to start him if worst comes to worst against the Panthers. And frankly, Davis should take advantage of the opportunity if he wants to stay in 2025.
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