We were sold a bill of goods with Caleb Williams. Described as a generational talent, the Chicago Bears’ franchise quarterback has looked anything but special through two games.
While the Bears’ defense and special teams were able to do enough to help the No. 1 overall pick get a win in his starting debut, Chicago’s offense ranks dead-last in passing yards through two games. In other words, Williams hasn’t fixed the Bears’ offense, and now the offensive line is getting the brunt of the blame.
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Chicago Bears grow frustrated with the state of their offensive line
One of the areas the Chicago Bears tried to address before thrusting Caleb Williams into a starting role was their offensive line. Chicago’s line allowed the seventh-most sacks a season ago. So far, through two weeks, no other quarterback has been sacked more than Williams.
“Since training camp started, it’s been a disaster. Nate Davis is probably not a huge national story, but locally, it’s been a big story for the last two years. He doesn’t like to practice. The Bears are frustrated with him not practicing. And I think he was going to lose that starting job at right guard to Ryan Bates, but Ryan Bates got hurt. And last week, actually, Ryan Bates out-snapped Nate Davis in the opener in a rotation, but then Ryan Bates suffered another injury this week in practice and he’s now on IR. So Nate Davis is out there by default. They got nobody else there to put in, even though I don’t think they want to play him. The interior of the offensive line is probably the least sexy thing to talk about when it comes to football, but right now for the Bears, it’s their biggest problem.”
The Athletic’s Adam Hoge on Chicago Bears
While we can’t speak to the practice habits of Nate Davis, it is true that he’s been a problem. Entering Week 3, Davis ranks 49th among offensive guards per Pro Football Focus.
He’s allowed one sack and has committed two penalties across 88 offensive snaps. He’s also allowed five pressures. Maybe if Davis had more time on the practice field, he’d be more prepared to perform well during the games too.