Per multiple reports, veteran Chicago Bears offensive lineman Nate Davis missed practice at training camp on Monday morning. The offensive lineman missed voluntary OTAs this spring and did not participate during some of the team’s mandatory minicamp this offseason.
The Bears gave an update on where Davis stands on the roster after missing practice.
Matt Eberflus sent a clear warning
As previously discussed on CCS, Davis was pulled from practice Saturday after he felt a strain in his leg. Head coach Matt Eberflus sent Davis a warning about his practice habits:
“Availability is everything in this league,” said Eberflus. “So you’ve got to be available to practice and you’ve go to be able to go through hard in terms of doing hard better during training camp.
That’s all part of preparing the first part of the season, being able to do that. To callous yourself, that’s your individual responsibility to the football team and when you’re not out there, guess what? That doesn’t happen.“
Whether Eberflus is sending a warning about this upcoming season or next offseason is unclear. For cap purposes, it makes no sense to cut Davis this season. But it might make sense to cut him before the 2025 season.
Nate Davis still has the starting job
Eberflus might want to sit Davis, but the lack of depth on the interior offensive line would make such a move tricky. Per Courtney Cronin with ESPN, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said on Monday the Bears plan to keep Davis as their starting right guard for the regular season.
Bears OC Shane Waldron says that Nate Davis is the team’s starting right guard when healthy when asked whether there’s a competition at that spot. Ryan Bates has been at right guard the last two practices in place of Davis.
The Chicago Bears don’t have better options
Frankly, the Bears don’t have a better option to start at right guard than Davis. Backup guards Ja’Tyre Carter and Matt Pryor aren’t starting options for the Bears, which is why Bates has practiced in place of Davis. Rookie Kiran Amegadjie could have moved to guard this season, but he’s still sidelined because of an injury from last year.
One has to wonder how many of the problems Caleb Williams and the offense are having in training camp are related to the instability of the offensive line. Williams is trying to get the cadence down amid a center battle, while one of those centers is being switched to guard–in his first year learning Waldron’s offense.
For More Chicago Sports:
Follow me on Twitter at @JordanSig, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Jordan Sigler via email at jordanmsigler@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks.
For More Great Chicago Sports Content
Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE
