Should the Bears trade Nate Davis, Khalil Herbert?

Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles isn’t shy about making trades. He’s made a bunch during his tenure as general manager. Whether it was the blockbuster deal that brought the Bears WR DJ Moore and QB Caleb Williams (and a whole lot more) or a dud that acquired WR Chase Claypool, Poles has proven that he’s a GM who’s willing to take a gamble if he thinks it’s in the best interest of his team.

With the NFL’s 2024 trade deadline quickly approaching (Tuesday, November 5), the Chicago Bears have been pegged as a team with several veterans who could appeal to other clubs. One such veteran is guard Nate Davis, who’s drawn criticism from Bears fans since training camp when he failed to log many healthy practices.

Davis’ frustrating training camp has flipped into a nightmare start to the 2024 season. He is (by far) the Bears’ worst offensive lineman when he’s on the field. He’s been so bad that he was a healthy scratch in Week 6.

Still, offensive linemen are hard to find, and according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Davis could have a trade market for his services.

“Guard Nate Davis was benched in Week 3 and inactive in Week 6,” Fowler wrote. “The team is open to moving him. Doing so would require Chicago to cover some of his $8.75 million salary, but my sense is the Bears are comfortable with that. The experiment hasn’t gone well.”

The experiment has been a downright disaster, Jeremy. It’s been a disaster.

The Bears absolutely should trade Davis if an opportunity presents itself. It wouldn’t matter to me what the offer is, either. I don’t care if it’s a conditional Day 3 draft pick in 2026. Just admit that signing Davis was a mistake and move on.

I’d actually be pretty surprised if another team offers anything for Davis. They’d be better off waiting until the offseason when the Bears will likely cut ties with him. He carries a dead cap figure of just $2 million in 2025.

Jerome Miron – USA Today

Khalil Herbert could present a RB-needy team with a starter’s skill set

What wouldn’t surprise me, however, is if another team ponies up a draft pick for Khalil Herbert, who’s buried on the Chicago Bears’ depth chart behind D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson. Barring injury, there’s no pathway toward playing time for Herbert, and with teams like the Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders having obvious needs in their running back room, adding a player with Herbert’s skills makes too much sense.

Sure, Herbert hasn’t proven he’s an every-down starter in the NFL, but how many running backs are? What he has proven is that he’s a very effective player when his number is called. He’s averaged 4.8 yards per carry over his four-year career, including a career-best 5.7 yards per carry in 2022 (129 carries). Fowler suggested Herbert could receive interest as the trade deadline inches closer, and the Bears could likely move him for a Day-3 pick.

Chicago Bears won’t be buyers at trade deadline

I’m pretty certain that Ryan Poles won’t be a buyer at the trade deadline this year. There’s just no reason to make a splash move right now. The Bears are a young team trending in the right direction, partly because of the roster chemistry. Don’t mess with it.

And the Bears don’t have many glaring needs, either. Weird, right?

Yes, the Bears could use an upgrade at center, but how many Coleman Shelton upgrades will actually be available for trade? The answer is none.

Poles shouldn’t feel the need to give up a second-round pick for a veteran this year. Keep stocking the roster’s shelves with young, top-64 talent and avoid the temptation to make headlines in October.