Disappointing Bears starter keeps testing his luck after missing another day of padded practice at training camp

The Chicago Bears are continuing to have a major problem with their highest-paid offensive lineman during training camp.

For the second straight day of padded practice, Bears starting right guard Nate Davis did not participate due to a muscle strain that has caused him to be "day-to-day" since the weekend.

This just adds to a long list of issues that has surrounded Davis since signing a 3-year, $30 million deal with the team last offseason. Davis missed time during last training camp for personal reasons and missed six games during the regular season due to a knee injury.

Following Saturday's practice over the weekend, Bears' head coach Matt Eberflus shared a very direct reminder for what the expectation will look like.

"Availability is everything in this league," he said . "You’ve got to be available to practice and you’ve got to be able to go through hard, in terms of doing hard better, during training camp. That’s all part of preparing for the first part of the season, being able to do that, to callous yourself. That’s your individual responsibility to the football team and when you’re not out there, guess what? That doesn’t happen."

"Availability is important at every position. And sometimes guys get injured and that’s the way it goes. But they have to get back as fast as possible because, to me, there’s a lot of competition on this roster.”

As for the competition part of it, Davis' absence has affected a key battle taking place to determine a starting role on the offensive line. With Davis out, offensive lineman Ryan Bates took over snaps at right guard after previously battling for the center position with Coleman Shelton all offseason.

Bates' versatility is one of the big reasons why the front office was so aggressive to trade for him over the last three offseasons. However, having to line up at right guard as Davis' backup prevents him from competing for a starting job at center.

"Right now I'm solely focused on center but you never know," Bates explained on Friday . "I've been thrown in at either guard during a walk-through. You never know what happens during a game. You can get thrown in there in a pinch. I'm ready, I know the interior three (positions). I'm trying to create have a master understanding of this offense. Every day I'm getting better and better with knowing everything, but yes, I’ll be ready at all times to switch positions in a pinch."

Even despite his continued absence during training camp and team drills, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron doubled-down on Davis still being the team's starter at right guard when he's healthy. By having players like Bates who are positionally flexible, it helps sure up the entire offensive line and answer any potential questions.

"I think that, during the course of training camp, when you're able to mix and match offensive line combinations, especially this early part of camp right here, that builds that armor for the regular season," Waldron explained . "If situations happen to occur up-front and different guys get comfortable playing, the quarterbacks get comfortable in the huddle. We got a great center competition going on right there. Chris Morgan just does such a good job with mixing and matching the guys with a plan for what the future looks like, and also giving those guys the best opportunity to compete."

So, for the time being, Davis should still be regarded as the starter at right guard. And thankfully, the Bears coaching staff seems to have solid contingency plan in place in case that were to change at some point this season.

Related: Chicago Bears Training Camp Battle Preview: Kiran Amegadjie's return will bring more clarity to the offensive line