Prior to the Chicago Bears game against the Washington Commanders this past Sunday, the trend for veteran offensive lineman Nate Davis was that he would be off the Bears' roster by the time the NFL Trade Deadline arrives next Tuesday.
Not only did Davis lose his starting spot on the offensive line to Matt Pryor at the right guard positions, the veteran has also been healthy inactive during each of the Bears' past two games.
What the Bears may not have been anticipating is the injuries suffered to the offensive line on Sunday. At various points in the game, Bill Murray, Braxton Jones, and Teven Jenkins all left the game with an injury. Murray has already been placed on injured reserve with a pec injury while it's believed that the Bears dodged a serious injury with both Jones and Jenkins. Still, there is a chance that both could be sidelined for Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Given the injuries the Bears are dealing with on the offensive line, there idea of keeping Davis as depth may have become the likely scenario. That was the prediction made by Mike Jones of The Athletic (Subscription Required).
The Bears say they still value Davis because of the depth he provides, and they just might have to settle for keeping him unless another team becomes desperate.
The Bears are having a walkthrough practice on Wednesday that is closed to the media. This means that we won't fully know the status of the team's offensive line until the injury report is released later this afternoon.
If a trade of Davis is going to remain a possibility for the Bears, the status of Jenkins and Jones will play a key factor. Beyond that, if Ryan Bates is ready to open his practice window, that could be the depth the Bears need to withstand moving on from Davis.