The Nate Davis Situation Somehow Got Even Funnier
Nate Davis was one of the more coveted free agents available in 2023 free agency. His mix of size and athleticism was rare for a guard. The Chicago Bears felt he fit their offensive perfectly and lured him in with a three-year contract worth $30 million. Unfortunately, Davis would soon become a reminder of why leaning on free agency to fill holes in the roster is dangerous. The veteran has been a colossal disappointment since arriving. If he’s looking inconsistent on the field, he was nursing an injury off it.
Davis missed most of his two training camps with various health problems. The Bears dealt with it last year because they had high hopes for him. Things have changed this season. It appears the team finally reached a breaking point. It started when they outright benched Davis in favor of journeyman backup Matt Pryor. That was funny enough. However, things took an even more hilarious turn on Sunday against the Panthers. Teven Jenkins suffered an ankle injury and was forced to leave the game. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune and others expected Davis to take over for him.
Nope.
Davis, a free-agent signee in 2023, was not the first player off the bench when Teven Jenkins was sidelined with a new injury. Bill Murray got his first action as an offensive lineman since entering the NFL in 2020 as an undrafted defensive lineman with the Patriots.
Jenkins, who was questionable for the game with what Matt Eberflus said was a bruised rib, left during the final possession of the second quarter with an ankle injury. If there’s good news, Jenkins wasn’t in a walking boot and didn’t appear to be in rough shape when he left the locker room after the game.
What’s noteworthy, beyond another new ailment for Jenkins, is that Murray apparently moved up the depth chart in the eyes of the coaching staff. It was noteworthy when Eberflus — unprompted — praised Murray during training camp, and this is proof he has continued to climb on the practice field.
If there is a rock bottom for Nate Davis, this is it.
Bill Murray was a defensive tackle when he signed as an undrafted free agent with the New England Patriots a few years ago. He stayed in that position until around 2022, when the coaching staff asked him to give the offensive line a try. Murray embraced the challenge and rapidly grew into the role. While he never got legitimate playing time, his progress was hard to ignore during the subsequent preseasons. Murray was probably the Bears’ best-performing offensive lineman this past August, earning unprompted praise from Matt Eberflus.
In his first regular season action, he didn’t allow a single pressure in 24 pass-blocking snaps and was the Bears’ highest-graded run blocker. So not only did Nate Davis get passed over for somebody who didn’t start playing guard until two years into his NFL career, but he played it with more efficiency. It doesn’t get more humiliating than that. This feels like the death knell for Davis’ time in Chicago. Barring further injuries, it seems unlikely he will see the field again this season or ever again for the Bears.