This offseason, the Chicago Bears have seen their offensive line shuffle just a bit compared to last year. Of course, the biggest news came when Drew Dalman retired, leaving the Bears without a starting center.
After the trade for Garrett Bradbury, Chicago had their temporary starter, but the long-term answer is still in question.
At the tackle spot, the Bears re-signed Braxton Jones to come in and very likely be the team's left tackle for 2026. But, would it make sense to continue pursuing depth at that spot?
Some Bears fans may be familiar with Illinois' offensive tackle J.C. Davis who is projected to be an early Day 3 type of pick, and Ryan Poles would be wise to not let Davis leave the state come the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Chicago Bears should strongly consider drafting Illinois offensive tackle J.C. Davis
The 40-foot view on Davis is essentially that he is a 4-year starter, so he comes with plenty of experience, and he has the length, frame and physical strength to play the position well. Some refinement when it comes to footwork would go a long way, and that can be easily had with coaching.
Many times, we see these top-tier prospects go in the first round and they only have a couple of years' experience as the starter in college. To be fair, the hit rate is pretty high.
But, there should be more buzz around a player like Davis. The athleticism is there. His lateral movement looks great on tape. He is able to move well, getting to the second level very naturally.
Truly, the biggest area he struggles is when it comes to his footwork. If his technique was stronger, and he was able to figure out how to better position his feet in order to sustain blocks, Davis is more of a Round 2 prospect.
The majority of knocks you read on Davis, and what you see when watching him, have to do with one simple premise: if his feet were in the right place, at the right time, he wouldn't have as many discrepancies. Body control, contact balance, sustaining blocks ... those can all be fixed with ease. That's on coaching.
Should the Bears have an opportunity to draft Davis on Day 3, they need to do it. Sure, they brought back Braxton Jones, but on a 1-year deal. They have Theo Benedet who is still far from proven. But, drafting Davis would tell Bears fans something they had long-desired to hear and see happen: they are never done improving the offensive line.
For too long, the Bears' offensive line was subpar and, even some relatively recent seasons, it was straight-up awful. Now, we have a head coach and GM pairing that clearly values the offensive line and are going to make sure it not only has five solid starters, but depth as well.
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If anything, Davis becomes a fantastic reserve. But, if there's a chance he develops into a fine player, then the Bears suddenly have a good problem on their hands when Ozzy Trapilo comes back.