Insider says Bears offensive starter could be benched to 'send a message'

It was a rude awakening for the Chicago Bears on Sunday night, and now, there must be consequences.

In a 19-13 loss to the Houston Texans, the Bears' offense looked limp for the second week in a row. More concerning, though, was that rookie quarterback Caleb Williams was under siege.

Williams was sacked seven times, hit 11 times, and pressured on more than half his dropbacks in Chicago's first loss of the new season. The Bears' offensive line and protection schemes were both roundly criticized in the game's aftermath.

On Tuesday, one Bears insider took it a step farther.

Adam Jahns of The Athletic said right guard Nate Davis deserved to be benched, for his underperformance stemming all the way back to training camp.

"If the Bears want to send another message to their locker room, it might be time to bench right guard Nate Davis," Jahns said. "Davis’ woes date to training camp when Eberflus sent messages through the media to challenge and motivate him."

"Davis started against the Tennessee Titans, his former team, in Week 1, but Ryan Bates still played more than he did after their rotation started. With Bates on injured reserve, the next option would be veteran Matt Pryor."

Davis does not have a blown block yet this season, per Sports Info Solutions. But he does have two false starts, a disproportionate number when considering he has played just 17 snaps. He's already lost playing time, but Jahns believes taking the starting gig away is the last step.

It will take more than one benching for the Bears to turn their offensive woes around, but perhaps that's the message that needs to be sent right now. As for Davis, it appears there had better not be any more slip-ups in Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts.

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