Nate Davis has drawn the ire of Chicago Bears fans all summer. The right guard was signed last off-season to a lucrative free agent contract in hopes he could help fortify the offensive line. Instead, he missed most of training camp with various issues and then missed six games with injuries. Things didn’t get any better this year. He missed OTAs, minicamps, and most of training camp with an undisclosed injury, forcing the Bears to lean on backups like Ryan Bates and Matt Pryor. Many people are ready to wash their hands of Davis at this point.
Perhaps the most frustrating part in all of this is having no knowledge of what the guard is supposedly dealing with. The Bears haven’t offered any information on the source of the injury. They aren’t required to until the regular season. It could be a knee, an ankle, a calf, and so on. Having no clarity has led to rampant speculation that Davis might even be faking an ailment to get out of practice. At last, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune provided relief with an update in his latest column.
I wouldn’t go there quite yet. We’re still a long way from the start of the season on Sept. 8. That’s 25 days, and the first thing Davis needs to do is get back on the practice field and stay there. He participated in a good portion of Tuesday’s practice, including some team drills. The practice was in shells and we’ll have to see how he responds. He has been dealing with a groin injury.
The Bears want to get to the first game with the best possible line on the field. The more time Davis misses, the more difficult it will be for him to claim the starting right guard job. That being said, there’s also no reason whatsoever for the team to feel like it has to make a decision soon, and if Davis can stay on the field the rest of this week, he’ll have an opportunity to lock down the job.
This would explain the slow Nate Davis recovery.
Groin injuries are tricky in athletics. They take a long time to heal and can be easy to re-injure if players try to rush back too quickly. It would explain why the Bears have tried ramping him up slowly. A setback occurred last week, making some think he’d miss even more time. Thankfully, it appears the problem is finally calming down. Davis practiced in full pads on Wednesday and didn’t appear to leave at any point due to a setback. One can only hope this is a sign he’s in the clear.
The Bears need him at his best if they’re going to take a step forward on offense. Caleb Williams is a rookie quarterback. His success depends almost entirely on his protection. Most of the problems in training camp have reportedly come from the interior. Nate Davis not being there is one reason for that. This season feels like do-or-die for him. The Bears already seem like they’re losing patience with him. His contract forbids outright cutting him, but that won’t be the case in 2025. Either he plays well or will be looking for a new job next spring.
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@Tred —
Ryan Pace made excellent choices in the mid and late rounds of the NFL Draft.
AND (notice it’s a Pretty Big “and”) Pace didn’t fuck with the starting lineups. He let the Head Coach (unfortunately that HC was “the notorious” Matt Nagy) make those calls.
That’s it!
If GM Ryan Poles could/would do BOTH of those things — We’d be in business!
What say you, Mr. @Tred?
@TGena – I’d heard that there were issues with Davis and the Titans. I’d also heard that he was lazy and that Vrabel hated him. They also said he was decent when he played. But none of the articles I read seemed to really offer much detail. That’s why I was surprised when most of the Chicago concentrated only on the positives about Davis, and presented them as established facts. There didn’t seem to be a great basis for it. Either way, Davis appears to be a huge negative for this team. Just a question – forget about Ryan Poles… Read more »
I’m taking a knee. The clock has run out. Your words, not mine. Cooperation, collaboration. Tomato, tomato.
I guess “nuts” are your thing then. Is that what you’re saying?
Bye now.
So, you’re saying it might have been a collaboration?
Or maybe, Poles said “I’ll make this pick (Amegadjie) and you make the next two, Ian.”
Then, Cunningham selected Tory Taylor, followed by Austin Booker.
Hey — this “nutshell” stuff is fun!
Keep wondering. That’s the difference between you and me. I don’t need to justify or criticize someone else’s mistakes, thoughts, or actions openly for my enjoyment. If someone does so, I will share my alternative opinion. I have none on Kiran. Poles made a decision. Good or bad in the end, he will get the rewards. However, if you think carefully about his relationship with Ian, do you think Ian would have been silent during the decision process? I think Ryan listened to him and Kiran would not have been a Bear had Cunningham had good arguments to the contrary.… Read more »