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Bears’ Ryan Poles breaks silence on Nate Davis debacle

Originally posted on NFL on ClutchPoints
By Douglas Fritz | Last updated Nov 17, 2024 2:24 PM ET

The Chicago Bears have struggled lately, and Caleb Williams apologized to the team. The Bears have been frustrated with Williams of late. And general manager Ryan Poles broke his silence on a different debacle: the release of offensive lineman Nate Davis.

Poles said the time had come, according to a post on X by Courtney Cronin.

“Ryan Poles on @ESPN1000 addresses Nate Davis’ release: ‘It was just time. It was time. It wasn’t working out the way that it was supposed to. I had a good conversation with Nate on the way out. There are some lessons to learn from many different angles here. Some controllable, some uncontrollable, but at the end of the day it was best to move on and move in a different direction.’ ”

Davis came to the league via a third-round draft pick of the Tennessee Titans in 2019. He played four seasons with the Titans before moving on to the Bears. His tenure didn’t last long. He played 11 games in 2023 and five this year. The Bears cut him loose earlier this week.

Bears GM Ryan Poles trying to keep team moving forward

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles looks on before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Soldier Field. Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

The Bears spent a lot money on Davis, giving him a three-year, $30 million contract that he could not complete. Davis stood as the team’s highest-paid lineman.

Poles said before the season he liked the construction of the team’s roster, according to chicagobears.com.

“It’s not just about acquiring the best talent; it’s about acquiring the right talent,” Poles said. “I think that’s what you see in this building. It’s special. The group of guys, it’s really special.

“I’ve talked a lot about that, but even when you go through cut-down day and you’re letting guys go, they’re like, ‘Man, I just want to be here. I can feel it. I want to be a part of this thing.’ I always look at it and I’m excited about it, but when you hear from people inside the building but also outside, it makes you feel really good about the progress that you made.”

He also said he liked the depth of the offensive line.

“I actually let one of the guys go on cut-downs and I was like, ‘Man, you did an excellent job. I wish we could keep you here,'” Poles said. “He said, ‘This is the deepest room I’ve ever been a part of.’ So we have more versatility, more depth. Shoot, we have 10 guys, so I feel comfortable. Obviously, you want your starting five to be healthy and ready to go, but I feel more confident in the depth of our offensive line than I ever have before.

“I think that group can be really good. In terms of investing in it, Darnell was a first-round pick, we traded for Bates, who has versatility, paid Nate.”

This article first appeared on NFL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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