As they approach the second-to-last full week of their 2024 training camp, the Chicago Bears still lack their starting right guard, Nate Davis, due to an injury. The Bears should sideline the 27-year-old starter “permanently,” according to Windy City Gridiron’s Bill Zimmerman, as Davis’ absence has become such a concern.
After initially sustaining a strain in his lower leg on July 27, Davis, who in March 2023 to a three-year, $30 million contract with the Bears, has not participated in full practice. During practice on August 4, the Bears attempted to gradually reintroduce him to individual exercises; however, he had a setback due to his strain and had to return to the sidelines for additional assessment.
The Bears still haven’t had a chance to practice regularly with their full starting offensive line, and the 2024 regular season is less than a month away. In addition to hindering the progress of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, who must now adjust to switching centers as Ryan Bates fills in for Davis at right guard, Davis’ absence also poses a dilemma for the offense as a whole.
On August 12, Zimmerman said, “It’s time for Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus to be bold.” Time to put Nate Davis on the bench. Not for two days, anyway. Not for a fortnight. Indefinitely.
Zimmerman makes a very valid point. With time running short before the season begins, the Bears’ first-team offense may benefit by sticking with their modified configuration for 2024. The offense has been without Davis for weeks.
These would mean that Coleman Shelton, with whom the Bears planned to contend with Bates for the starting center position, would start at center and the team would commit to Bates, a versatile offseason acquisition from Buffalo.
Additionally, Zimmerman’s viewpoint is not unique. Joe Tansey of Bleacher Report said on August 12 that Shelton will start at center and Bates will start at right guard because of Davis’ “week-to-week injury status.”
If the Bears are set on keeping Bates at center, Tansey did leave open the possibility of veteran Matt Pryor, who can play guard or tackle, starting at right guard; but, in both scenarios, Davis would sit on the bench.
Due to Davis’ availability concerns, Zimmerman also revisited his earlier story that former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel “hates” Davis from his time in Tennessee. Zimmerman now acknowledges that he was mistaken when he indicated that he believed Vrabel’s point of view could be “related more to who Vrabel was than who Davis was.”
Zimmerman stated, “It’s obvious to all that the Bears are at their wit’s end with Davis.” “Eberflus’ remarks regarding him make it abundantly clear.
Although benching Davis is a viable option that is gaining traction among supporters and the media, some fans are undoubtedly thinking, “Why not just cut the guy?”
Sadly, the solution is straightforward: The Bears would save almost nothing by cutting Davis.
With a basic salary of $8.5 million for the 2024 season, Davis bears a salary-cap hit of around $11.35 million. The Bears would save just more than $600,000 in cap space if they cut Davis rather of taking on a $10.75 million dead-cap cost.
As frustrating as Davis’ availability issues have become, it would not make sense for them to boot him when they are still on the hook for more than 94% of his total earnings in 2024.
Even if Davis becomes nothing more than an overpaid bench player, the Bears stand to lose more if they ditch him than if they keep him. While Davis did not play great in his first season with the Bears in 2023 — and missed time with an injury — there are worse things to have than a 27-year-old backup guard with 65 career starts on his record.
