Nate Davis suffers injury setback at Bears training camp

The bad news surrounding Chicago Bears right guard Nate Davis keeps coming in.

Davis, who was pegged as the team’s long-term answer at right guard after signing a three-year, $30 million contract last offseason, appeared in just 11 games in 2023 due to injury and personal tragedy. With 2024 offering a fresh start, Bears fans hoped Davis would emerge as one of the team’s top offensive linemen. Instead, he’s had an injury-riddled training camp that just got worse.

Nate Davis did indeed suffer a setback during practice on Sunday, a soft tissue injury per Matt Eberflus. He is considered week to week.

— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) August 8, 2024

Week to week? Not good. In fact, I think it’s safe to say Davis has lost his starting job.

Enter Ryan Bates, the center-turned-guard who the Chicago Bears traded a 2024 fifth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills to acquire. Bates had been on GM Ryan Poles’ wish list since the 2022 offseason when he signed him to a lucrative four-year offer sheet that Buffalo ultimately matched. Initially acquired to compete for the starting center job, Bates now appears to be the unquestioned starter at right guard.

Bates has appeared in 73 games with 19 starts since entering the league in 2019. He started a career-high 15 games for the Bills at right guard in 2022.