News flash: the Chicago Bears' biggest problem is still their biggest problem.
Monday, it was announced that the team was signing former Detroit Lions pass rusher Marcus Davenport. After months of speculation and questions when it came to the Bears' pass rush situation, Ryan Poles finally made a move.
Had the Bears made the acquisition for Davenport five years ago after his 2021 campaign that saw him rack up an admirable 9.0 sacks, it'd be safe to say Bears fans would be thrilled. But, the fact of the matter is, Davenport has only totaled 4.0 sacks in four seasons since that year, all while missing 39 games.
I repeat: Davenport has not appeared in a total of 39 out of 68 games, largely due to injury issues.
If Poles is making this move with any hopes that Davenport alleviates maybe the biggest question on the roster, he's got to think again.
In fact, he's got to think specifically about who he might sign if and when Davenport struggles health-wise, once more.
Marcus Davenport will never come close to filling the Chicago Bears' pass rush needs
Now, it might be true that this is a tad bit harsh and it's a slight on Davenport due to his inability to stay healthy. That isn't particularly fair to Davenport, but this isn't about Davenport. It's about Ryan Poles.
Fans have waited an official five months for Poles to do anything in regards to bolstering the pass rush, and what has he done?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Instead, Poles and the coaching staff have continued to preach their willingness to coach this current group better while hoping for drastically-different results.
Hello, Mr. Poles? Did you happen to see your prized 2025 free agent signing, Dayo Odeyingbo, in his first preseason action? The Bears might as well have been playing with 10 defenders instead of 11 during Odeyingbo's time against the Cleveland Browns last Saturday.
That's how bad it looked.
Montez Sweat and Austin Booker are good players, not great. And surely, they're still not enough to get the job done. In fact, fans are likely starting to hope that rookie sixth-round pick, Jordan van den Berg, can help alleviate the stress in that area, at this point, from the interior.
Davenport isn't going to fix Chicago's inability to generate a pass rush. There is a very good chance he doesn't see the field for at least half the season if we're basing that on recent history. Go ahead and see for yourself: Davenport's projected chance of injury in 2026 is sitting at 82 percent.
If that's the case, who will Poles target next?
Better question: why didn't he target that player first before Davenport?
Just a few weeks ago, Poles could have had himself one of Jadeveon Clowney or Von Miller on the cheap. But, he allowed the two of them to get scooped up late in the offseason rather than making the move himself.
The Davenport signing could not be more underwhelming. Just ask Lions fans. Ask Vikings fans. Heck, ask Saints fans who waited four years to see him live up to that first-round billing.
This isn't even close to a solution. It's merely a Band-Aid for a problem that's needed emergency surgery for months now.
Read more: Bears could be sitting on the most unforeseen solution to the pass rush problem
Poles has done a lot of things right, but this is just one more item added to the list of "swing-and-a-miss."
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