Bears Benching $30 Million Starter Against Colts in Week 3

Getty Matt Eberflus, head coach of the Chicago Bears, watches first quarter action during a preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on August 22, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)

The Chicago Bears are preparing to make a significant change to their struggling offensive line for Week 3’s road game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

According to The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs, the Bears will bench $30 million right guard Nate Davis from their starting lineup and start veteran free agent signing Matt Pryor in his place against the Colts with Davis questionable with a groin injury.

“Yesterday,#Bears coach Matt Eberflus alluded to the possibility Matt Pryor plays on Sunday at Indianapolis,” Biggs wrote on X on September 21, including Eberflus’ quote about how he is “super excited” for Pyror to get his chance to play against the Colts.

“From what I am hearing, Pryor is expected to start right guard.”

The Bears could simply want to hold back Davis as an injury precaution. They limited him in the first two practices of the week after he re-aggravated his groin injury during September 18’s session. Davis’ benching also does not necessarily mean he will not still play a role in a rotation with Pryor, as he did with Ryan Bates in Week 1’s victory.

Nevertheless, Pyror could have an opportunity to permanently claim the starting right guard job if he plays well against the Colts. The Bears are striving to improve up front after a disastrous performance in Week 2 in which the offensive line failed to spring the run game or protect rookie quarterback Caleb Williams against Houston’s pass rushers.

If Pryor can be part of the solution, the Bears may keep Davis on the bench for good.

Bears Feeling Good About Matt Pryor’s Improvement

Pryor is an intriguing alternate for the Bears at right guard. While he initially seemed like a veteran depth addition who could potentially wind up on the roster bubble before the start of the season, he impressed the Bears with his ability to play both guard and tackle and won a 53-man roster spot after a strong first training camp with the team.

Since then, Pryor has continued to improve his standing with the Bears’ coaching staff. Eberflus spoke highly of him ahead of Week 3’s matchup with the Colts, praising his energy and work ethic when hinting at a potential right guard rotation for the game.

“We really see improvement in him and what he’s brought to the table in terms of his work ethic, his energy and what he brings there, too as a teammate,” Eberflus said. “Super excited for him if he’s working there with Nate or whatever that might be, we’ll see in terms of getting closer to the game, but he’s really had a good work week.”

Pryor will have plenty of experience to lean on in his start for the Bears on Sunday. He played in 75 career games with 24 starts in his previous five seasons before signing with Chicago in the offseason, taking snaps at every offensive line position except for center.

Bears Face Limited Options With Nate Davis in 2024

The Bears have demonstrated a clear interest in replacing Davis in their starting lineup. The right guard job might have gone to someone else sooner had Bates — who played more snaps at the position than Davis in Week 1 — not landed on injured reserve. Now at least, if Pryor rises to the occasion, the Bears could finally have Davis’ replacement.

The problem is that the Bears are essentially in a lose-lose situation with Davis in 2024.

The Bears are still on the hook to pay Davis a considerable amount of money even if he moves to the bench from Week 3 on out. They could technically cut him and save less than $1 million against the salary cap, but it is far more likely they will hang onto him as a veteran backup — albeit, an overpaid one — in case injuries turn them back his way.

While Davis has not been great to start 2024, the Bears do not have the luxury of being able to turn away his experience. Bill Murray is the only other healthy guard on their roster aside from Pryor and left guard Teven Jenkins and he has played zero regular-season snaps in his career. Even once Bates returns from IR, Davis is necessary depth if the Bears want to keep their offensive line as sturdy as possible for the rest of the year.

Barring a significant turnaround for Davis, though, the Bears will likely move on from him once the 2025 offseason arrives. Chicago would create $9.5 million in cap savings — and incur a dead-cap charge of just $2 million — if it released Davis in the final year of the three-year, $30 million contract he signed with the team in 2023 free agency.

Until then, the Bears can only work around their Davis problem.