Chicago Bears bench Velus Jones Jr. and Nate Davis during Week 1 game vs. Titans

Two of the biggest storylines for the Chicago Bears during the preseason were the health of starting right guard Nate Davis and the security of Velus Jones Jr.'s roster spot.

Davis missed a bulk of the preseason due to injury, and his lack of availability reached a point where even Matt Eberflus seemed to put his status as a starting offensive lineman in question. Despite questions over Davis' availability, the veteran was penciled into the starting offensive line for Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans.

It didn't take long for the Bears to make a change as Davis was seemingly benched in favor of Ryan Bates during the first half of the game.

With his poor play against the Titans, Davis is doing himself no favors. For Bears fans, it's a reminder of what the team went through during the 2023 season. Davis missed a large portion of the preseason prior to the 2023 season and struggled in the team's opener against the Green Bay Packers. Still, the Bears backed the veteran offensive lineman. With the same struggles returning after a questionable offseason, the Bears aren't giving Davis the benefit of the doubt.

One player who has consistently been given the benefit of the doubt from the Bears was Jones. Despite questions over his roster status and the fact that the Bears had trade interest from a different team, Ryan Poles remained high on his former third-round draft pick.

Unfortunately, Jones showed during the first half of the Titans' game why fans are ready for the experiment to be over.

Fumbles on kickoffs were a large reason Jones' roster spot was in question throughout most of the preseason. After this fumble, the Bears operated with wide receiver DeAndre Carter and running back Khalil Herbert as their kickoff returners.