Getty Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.
Chicago Bears insider Brad Biggs believes the end could be nigh for $30 million veteran guard Nate Davis following his move to the inactive list in Week 6.
Davis has been on a downward trajectory with the Bears since the start of the 2024 season. They benched him from his starting job at right guard in favor of veteran Matt Pryor for Week 3’s game against the Indianapolis Colts, then completely took him out of the rotation for Week 6’s win in London, making him a healthy scratch for the matchup.
At this point, Davis would likely need a significant turnaround for the Bears over the next 10 games to have any chance at playing out the final year of his contract in 2025. However, Biggs suggested in his October 16 article for The Chicago Tribune that the Bears might not even allow Davis to stay on the roster long enough to find redemption.
“I don’t think the Bears are trying to find the button to get Davis going and get his attention,” Biggs wrote. “I think this signals they will strongly consider releasing Davis when Ryan Bates and/or Larry Borom are ready to return from injured reserve.”
Nate Davis Has Already Seen Role Minimized With Bears
The Bears have been actively trying to minimize Davis’ responsibilities for their offense since the first week of the 2024 regular season. In Week 1’s win over Tennessee, they rotated Davis with Bates at right guard and ended up giving more snaps to Bates, a sign that he would have likely taken over the job had he not suffered an injury in the game.
The Bears turned back to Davis as their starting right guard in Week 2 against Houston, but his below-average performance and miscues on blocking assignments pushed them to test out another option in Pryor for Week 3’s matchup with the Indianapolis Colts.
Since then, the Bears have only played Davis when injuries at the guard positions have made it necessary — and even then, they decided after just two more games that fifth-year backup Bill Murray offered them more as their first-up rotational guard. No matter how you spin it, it looks bad for a veteran signed to a $30 million starter’s contract.
The question now is: Are the Bears so disillusioned with Davis and his capabilities that they believe he can no longer add any value to their offensive line at all? It is fair to ask, especially considering the Bears would need to eat the remainder of his $8.75 million salary (minus six per-game checks) to cut him from the roster during the season.
The Bears could also answer that question before their next game on October 27.
Ryan Bates’ Return Could Justify Nate Davis’ Release
In terms of figuring out what to do next with Davis, the Bears’ decision-making could hinge on Bates and how soon they expect him to return to their offensive line rotation.
The Bears are currently eligible to activate Bates from injured reserve and could do so as soon as Week 8 if they feel comfortable enough with his recovery to open his 21-day activation window and get him back on the practice field. While designating Bates for return would not guarantee his availability for their next game against the Washington Commanders, it would mark a meaningful step in the right direction for his health.
Once Bates is ready to return to the 53-man roster, though, the Bears will need to start figuring out how to clear the necessary roster space and could look to trim down on the number of offensive linemen on their active roster. Bates would make 10, while Borom — who is also eligible for return — would bring it up to 11 without corresponding cuts.
To solve the issue, the Bears could cut backup center Doug Kramer Jr.; though, they have found ways to get him involved as a fullback in their jumbo packages over the past few weeks without starter Khari Blasingame available. Or they could cut Davis, the one offensive lineman on the 53-man roster that the Bears are averse to putting on the field.
