Matt Eberflus Puts Nate Davis on the Hot Seat in New Comments

This preseason is a crucial one for the Chicago Bears. Not only is the team trying to get a couple of top rookies ready for their first season, but there are a ton of position battles still up in the air to decide what the Week 1 starting lineup will look like.

Most head coaches tend to play things pretty close to their chest with position battles — not giving reporters anything more than canned non-answers about how "both guys will have their shot" and "we'll go with the player that will give us the best chance of winning."

New Bears head coach Matt Eberflus has gone in a different direction with it, sending what seems like a crystal-clear message to the leader in one of the position battles on the offensive line.

"People say you can't lose a job because of injury. I don't think that's true." I won't go as far as to call that quote a threat, but it should certainly have Nate Davis on high alert at the right guard spot.

Bears fans know well that Davis has a long history of missing practice, and this weekend another apparent injury popped up to keep him out of action. A trend like this is not something you want out of a starter.

And it's not like Davis is good enough to get the superstar treatment here. He received a pretty terrible overall grade of 52.9 from PFF in 2023. That was his first year with the Bears, and poor play mixed with injury issues aren't going to endear you to a new team.

Behind him on the depth chart, Matt Pryor has been getting looks at both tackle and guard this preseason, and he stood out with a great showing in the Hall of Fame Game. Ja'Tyre Carter has also impressed so far this summer on the left side, and flipping him over to the right could be an option.

The Bears' offensive line isn't necessarily a strength, but it is a versatile group with plenty of guys who can slot in at a variety of positions. That means that replacing someone who just isn't reliable enough to stay on the field is not especially difficult.

Hopefully Davis, who carries and $11.4 million cap hit and would lead to $10 million in dead money if he was cut, heeds this warning from Eberflus. Getting back on the practice field consistently would go a long way toward returning to the form as a solid starter that led to his being signed by the Bears last offseason.

But this attitude from Eberflus is exactly what Bears fans want to see. Keep him accountable, and don't hesitate to replace him if someone is playing better while he's out.

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