Our series profiling the 25 most important Chicago Bears players continues. At number 18 we have offensive guard Nate Davis.
We continue to profile the 25 most important Chicago Bears players. We look at a different player each day leading up to the start of training camp. We are currently at number 18. The player there is offensive guard Nate Davis.
General manager Ryan Poles brought Davis in as a free agent last offseason. There were high hopes for him to help improve the offensive line. However, he had his struggles. Before training camp, he dealt with a death in the family. He needed to take time off to take care of that personal issue.
Then, when he came back, he looked like a player who was not able to be in the best condition possible. He looked rusty and then he got injured. Ultimately, he missed six games due to family issues and injury.
The hope was that Davis could use this offseason to take care of his issues and get healthy. Then, when the camps began, he would be ready to go. Seeing that the Chicago Bears hired a new offensive coordinator in Shane Waldron, you’d figure that Davis would be eager to get on the field and learn the new system.
Things did not go as planned, however. He skipped OTAs. That was not much of a problem since OTAs are voluntary. We all know that voluntary is not always so in the
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NFL. Again, the coaching staff wants the players to know as much of the system as possible. In addition to the new coordinator, there are a plethora of new players on offense as well.
What was more concerning was when the veteran minicamp rolled in. That one is mandatory. Davis showed up, but he did not hit the field. He was seen with a walking boot on the same foot he injured in the 2023 regular-season finale. Questions have been raised that question his dedication to the game and/or his health.
The Chicago Bears have reportedly been considering alternatives to the right guard position. While Eberflus has said that the plan is for Davis to start there, he did float other possibilities at the position, which was very telling.
Yeah, don’t know yet. I really don’t know. We’ll see. We’ll see how it goes. I’m just thinking through my head a bunch of multiple combinations. I really don’t know exactly. Sure, we had Bates there. He’s played there. Shelton has played at center, of course. Davis has played there. (Jenkins) has been on the other side.
Poles acquired Ryan Bates and Coleman Shelton to fight for the starting center spot. The loser would be a reserve interior lineman. Now there is a possibility that the loser could start at right guard.
A healthy Nate Davis with his head on straight is important for the Chicago Bears. He has the strength and footwork to be a very effective lineman. He flashed those skills at times last season. In the final six games of the season, the Bears were 4-2. He was playing well before he injured his foot.
Davis must be at the starting spot for the offensive line to be at its best. While
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Shelton and Coleman can be serviceable at guard, and left guard Teven Jenkins already played the spot and played it well, the Chicago Bears’ best option is Davis. He is much better than either Shelton or Coleman, and Jenkins would be better served to stay on the left side.
In their latest ranking of the 32 best guards in the league, Pro Football Focus had both Jenkins and Davis on the list. Jenkins ranked 16th while Davis ranked 32nd. That makes it important for him to be the starter. Having him and Darnell Wright on the right side gives the Chicago Bears a very tough, strong wall. Both are good in pass and run blocking.
A healthy and engaged Nate Davis will help the Chicago Bears win games. This is a pivotal season. It is Year 3 of Poles’ rebuild. This is when he said the team should take a big step and compete for the playoffs. With Davis the odds of making it are much higher.
Previous rankings: #25: Tory Taylor #24: Velus Jones #23: Jack Sanborn #22: Gerald Everett #21: Kyler Gordon #20: Cairo Santos #19: Kevin Byard
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