Sounds Like Bears Have Reached A Breaking Point With Nate Davis
The Chicago Bears offensive line hit rock bottom on Sunday night in Houston. Over four quarters, they surrendered seven sacks and 11 hits on Caleb Williams, a problem magnified by their inability to generate any movement on the ground. Plenty of players were responsible for this disaster. Yet none found a way to stand out more than Nate Davis. Frustration with the right guard has been mounting for weeks since he missed most of training camp again with health issues.
He didn’t do much to temper fears in the opener against Tennessee where he failed to chip a Titans defender, which resulted in a 19-yard sack. With Ryan Bates going on IR, the Bears were left with no alternative but to go with him again in Houston. He responded by allowing four pressures and a sack. It was painful how lost he looked every time the Texans brought a blitz or ran a stunt. Based on what Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune recently wrote, it sounds like the team is considering other options.
They need to look at everything. Did Davis play well enough to remain in the lineup? Can Pryor do a better job? That’s about the only move I can think of this week or in the immediate future before the team returns from London. Quality offensive linemen are not going to be available in trade. Sure, they can bring some in for a tryout and see if any are practice-squad eligible, but it’s slim pickings at the offensive line store right now.
Nate Davis isn’t worth the energy anymore.
His talent has never been in question, but his health, intelligence, and effort certainly have. At this point, the guy is a walking liability. Matt Pryor is far from an ideal solution. He’s a veteran who has played multiple positions on the offensive line in his career, including both guard spots. His last extensive work at right guard was in 2020 with Philadelphia. In six games, he allowed 15 pressures and two sacks. The Bears could also take a gamble on Bill Murray, who has no starting experience but played really well in the preseason.
There are other ways they could do it. Maybe they move Darnell Wright inside to guard and put rookie Kiran Amegadjie at right tackle. Whatever the solution is, they can’t keep riding things out like this. Nate Davis isn’t doing anything for this offense. In fact, he is doing more harm than good. If he is going to keep missing assignments like this, the Bears might as well try to find somebody who can at least be more consistent until Bates returns. Enough is enough.