The Chicago Bears have added a slew of new faces to the roster this offseason, including guard Nate Davis, who will help shore up an offensive line that struggled in pass protection last year.
Davis is one of just two players who chose to skip the first two weeks of OTAs. Safety Eddie Jackson and wide receiver Darnell Mooney are rehabbing from injuries while cornerback Jaylon Johnson has been absent due to personal reasons.
While Davis is new to the team, coach Matt Eberflus isn’t concerned about his absence given Davis’ experience in a similar system and his knowledge of zone schemes.
“We certainly feel a little bit more comfortable knowing he has been in the system and he knows the zone schemes and the down schemes and really similar in terms of the line coaching,” Eberflus said, via The Athletic. “Again, we’d like everybody here, we feel it’s invaluable to be here, we’ll coach the guys that are here.”
Davis is one of two new projected starters along the offensive line this season, alongside rookie tackle Darnell Wright. Cody Whitehair, who’s moving from left guard to center, thinks it’ll be a smooth transition for Davis in Chicago.
“I think he’ll be fine,” Whitehair said. “He’s a veteran guy. He’s played in this system for a long time, coming from Tennessee. A lot of the stuff is the same. Just seeing where he is in combinations and where I am, I don’t think it’ll be a very hard transition. It’ll be pretty smooth.”
There’s still one week left of voluntary OTAs, but Davis is expected to be present for mandatory minicamp on June 13.
