Amid ongoing protection issues for Caleb Williams through the first two games, Chicago Bears right guard Nate Davis is drawing attention for his minimal participation in practice.
On a recent episode of the Scoop City podcast (starting at the 42:00 mark), The Athletic’s Adam Hoge highlighted the growing frustration within the Bears regarding Davis’s lack of practice. The team had considered replacing him with free-agent acquisition Ryan Bates, but Bates sustained a shoulder injury.
Hoge commented, “Since training camp began, it’s been a disaster. Nate Davis might not be a major national topic, but locally, it’s been a significant issue for the past two years. He’s known for not practicing, which has frustrated the Bears. They intended to replace him with Ryan Bates, but Bates got injured. Last week, Bates even played more snaps than Davis in the opener due to a rotation, but Bates is now on IR after another injury in practice. Consequently, Davis remains in the starting role by default, even though the team might prefer otherwise. While the interior offensive line isn’t the most glamorous topic, it’s currently the Bears’ biggest concern.”
Williams faced constant pressure during the Bears’ Week 2 loss to the Houston Texans, being sacked seven times and hit 23 times on 48 dropbacks, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
Pro Football Focus (cited by Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Chicago) reported that Davis allowed four pressures and one sack, while Darnell Wright, the tackle next to Davis, permitted five pressures and two sacks.
Quinten Krzysko of Bears on Tap mentioned that Davis performed “excellent” in the first half against the Texans, but struggled in the second half due to “mental errors, tripping over teammates, and failing to maintain his anchor.”
The Bears’ offense was largely ineffective in the second half. Of their eight drives, four ended in three plays or fewer (three punts, one interception), and two others lasted five plays (one punt, one turnover on downs). Their only notable drive gained 61 yards on 12 plays, culminating in a 54-yard field goal by Cairo Santos.
Davis, who signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Bears in March 2023, addressed fan concerns about his practice habits during training camp in August, stating, “My focus is just on the building, on the players and our coaching staff and whatever they ask me to do.” He was not practicing at that time due to an undisclosed injury.
Davis has not appeared on the injury report during the first two weeks of the regular season. He played only 18 snaps in Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans but was on the field for every offensive snap against the Texans.
The Bears have scored just one offensive touchdown in their first two games. Williams has completed 37 of 66 passes (56.1 percent) for 267 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. He has been sacked nine times, tied with Gardner Minshew II for the most in the NFL through two weeks.
