The Chicago Bears are a talented team, but they have their areas of concern as they prepare for their 2024 season opener against the Tennessee Titans on September 8.
Perhaps the biggest concern is one of the team’s biggest players. Bears right guard Nate Davis was named Chicago’s Worst Starter.
After a difficult 2023 where Davis had six penalties and allowed 29 quarterback pressuresReports out of Bears training camp have not been kind to the former third-round pick.
Davis was absent from most of Chicago’s OTAs this spring and his presence was sporadic throughout camp. So much so that Head coach Matt Eberflus said Davis had to find a way to practice or risk losing not only his starting job, but his roster spot.
“Availability is everything in this league,” Eberflus said. “It’s part of preparing for the first half of the season, being able to do that. Being unresponsive is your individual responsibility to the football team, and when you’re not on the field, guess what? It doesn’t happen.”
Davis has made 65 NFL starts since being drafted in 2019 by the Titans, including 11 in 2023. He signed a three-year, $30 million contract with Chicago before last season.
According to Pro Football Focus, Davis received the second-worst grade of his career (52.9), finishing ahead of his rookie season when he posted a grade of 40.9.
The Bears need to be able to protect Caleb Williams so he can take advantage of their offensive arsenal. Chicago’s interior line appears to be the biggest problem in doing so, and no one on that line is more scrutinized than Nate Davis.
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