Ben Johnson reacts to sudden Chicago Bears retirement

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Ben Johnson reacts to sudden Chicago Bears retirement

Originally posted on ChiCitySports | By Dan Fappiano | Last updated Oct 7, 2026 9:37 PM ET

The Chicago Bears elevated pass rusher Marcus Davenport from the practice squad for their Week 4 matchup against the New York Jets. But as quickly as he arrived, the defense end disappeared.

Davenport has decided to retire from the NFL and is no longer on Chicago’s roster. He hung up the cleats after 78 games, including 43 starts. The former first-round pick racked up 166 tackles, 71 quarterback hits and 25 sacks. His best season came in 2021 with the New Orleans Saints, featuring a career-high nine sacks and 16 QB hits.

As for Davenport’s run with the Bears, he managed to put up a tackle in his lone appearance with the franchise. While Chicago still has questions in their pass rush, Davenport will no longer be able to help answer them.

Head coach Ben Johnson remains focused on players currently on the Bears roster. But he still gave his blunt reaction when asked about the sudden retirement.

Marcus Davenport departs Chicago Bears, NFL

Detroit Lions defensive end Marcus Davenport (92) pressures Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, September 8, 2024.

Davenport wasn’t Chicago’s only option if they wanted an extra defensive end on their active roster. Jamree Kromah for example has been inactive the first four games. The Bears chose Davenport due to his work on the practice field and belief he could make an impact. Which made his retirement all the more shocking to Johnson, via the head coach’s Wednesday press conference.

“It was a little bit out of left field,” Johnson said. “We really liked how he was attacking getting into football shape. Thought he did a great job the first few weeks taking advantage of padded practices and we thought he looked good. Our offensive linemen were talking about, ‘Man, he’s got heavy hands and he’s strong.’ That’s been my experience with him in the past and certainly [Dennis Allen’s] as well. We were excited to see where it would go.”

“If you’re not full steam ahead then you can’t cheat your teammates or cheat the game,” he continued. “It’s just not worth it. He just felt like it was time to hang it up. Grateful he was honest. But we’ll be going on to the next guy, we’ll be fine.”

Perhaps that next guy will be Kromah. Maybe the Bears will decide to look outside the organization for help. All Johnson can hope for is that any defensive end addition to the active roster has a longer tenure than Davenport’s.

This article first appeared on ChiCitySports and was syndicated with permission.

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