Bears GM Breaks Silence on Nate Davis' Release Before Week 11 Kickoff
By Jovan Alford
Earlier this week, the Chicago Bears decided to cut ties with Nate Davis, releasing the veteran offensive line after two seasons with the organization.
Davis was signed last offseason to a three-year, $30 million contract as a building block on the offensive line. However, that never came to fruition as he only played in 16 games (13 starts) in his two years in the Windy City.
Davis was benched earlier this season and was replaced by veteran Matt Pryor at right guard. He was supposed to be active for last week’s game against the New England Patriots, but Davis was ruled out with a back issue. According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, the Bears told Davis to stay home.
On Sunday, Bears general manager Ryan Poles spoke for the first time since the team cut the veteran offensive lineman. It’s been a busy week for Poles and the rest of the organization as they changed offensive coordinators.
“It was just time. It was time. It wasn’t working out the way it was supposed to,” Poles said (h/t Courtney Cronin). “I had a good conversation with Nate on the way out. There are some lessons to learn from many different angles here. Some controllable, some uncontrollable, but at the end of the day it was the best to move on and move in a different direction.”
Based on Poles’ comments, the organization recognized things weren’t working out with Davis and wanted to be done with it. The team tried to move the veteran offensive lineman at the trade deadline but couldn’t find any suitors.
The Bears hope Pryor can solidify himself as the starting right guard as he’s only a one-year deal. But do not be surprised to see Chicago be proactive in the offseason and draft a right guard, which they’ve done in recent years to address the tackle spot.
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