Is Nate Davis a trade candidate? Here’s what Bears coach Matt Eberflus said Monday after bye week

LAKE FOREST – The Chicago Bears returned to Halas Hall on Monday following a week off. The team enjoyed its Week 7 bye and began preparations this week for its upcoming contest against the Washington Commanders on Sunday at Northwest Stadium in Maryland.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus met with members of the media Monday at Halas Hall. Here are the top takeaways from Monday’s media session.

Eberflus doesn’t rule out Nate Davis trade discussions

The Nov. 5 trade deadline is rapidly approaching. Bears general manager Ryan Poles was active at the trade deadline during his previous two seasons in charge. Two years ago, he traded away linebacker Roquan Smith and defensive end Robert Quinn. Last year, he traded for defensive end Montez Sweat.

Already, the deadline is only two weeks away. NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport mentioned in an article over the weekend that Bears guard Nate Davis could be a trade candidate. Davis, who the Bears signed to a three-year, $30 million contract in March 2023, has been riding the bench for the past month.

Asked about Davis, Eberflus didn’t rule out any trade discussions.

“Of course, during this time when you’re leading up to the trade deadline, you’re always going to have guys that are in conversation for those trade talks,” Eberflus said. “I’m not going to talk about particular players or players that we’re looking at potentially, but that’s always going to be the case. It’s part of the business.”

Lately, Davis hasn’t even been the first guard off the bench when an injury occurs. That honor has been going to backup Bill Murray. The Bears appear reluctant to play Davis and they probably would take whatever they could get for him.

Ryan Bates could return soon

If the Bears are going to consider trading Davis, they will need to feel confident about their depth on the offensive line. The good news is that Eberflus confirmed that lineman Ryan Bates is closer to returning to action. Bates has been on injured reserve with shoulder and elbow injuries since Week 2.

“We got a good report on him today,” Eberflus said Monday. “He is close. We’ll see where it is as we go forward.”

Bates injured his shoulder late in camp, but did play during the season opener on Sept. 8. When Bates returns, he could be in line to take over the starting job at right guard.

Bates is also capable of playing center, but veteran Coleman Shelton has been manning the center spot pretty much full-time since early August. Matt Pryor has started four consecutive games at right guard in place of Davis. If the Bears insert Bates into the lineup at right guard, Pryor could be a valuable backup because he can play both guard and tackle.

On Jayden Daniels and Kliff Kingsbury

While the Bears locked in on Caleb Williams pretty early in the draft process, they did their due diligence on all the top-rated quarterbacks. That included Jayden Daniels, who the Commanders took at No. 2 overall.

In addition to scouting the QB, Eberflus and the Bears spent some quality time with Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who interviewed for the same position in Chicago last winter.

“I’ve always respected him, going against him over the years, and respect his offense and the way he finds space on the field, the way he’s committed to the run game,” Eberflus said. “But again, it was a pleasure to meet him personally, had a great visit for a good amount of time during that interview. And it was very informative to both parties.”

Kingsbury had also coached Williams at USC in 2023. He ultimately landed in Washington and the Bears hired Shane Waldron as their OC.

In college at LSU, Daniels proved he could play at a high level, winning the Heisman Trophy last season. He has a great feel for the deep ball and he has elite running abilities. Kingsbury is scheming up an offense in Washington that plays to those strengths.

“They just really do a good job of enhancing and looking at his skillset, which is throwing the ball down the field,” Eberflus said. “He does that really well. He’s been able to get some really good chunk plays, their whole offense has during the course of these first games.”

Daniels injured his ribs during Sunday’s win over Carolina. Commanders coach Dan Quinn said Monday that the team is “hopeful” Daniels will play against the Bears this weekend.