Chicago Bears fans who already have their eyes fixed on 2020 should keep the date of November 9th in mind. That represents an overlooked but important deadline in the NFL calendar. For those who aren't familiar, it represents the last opportunity for teams to unload what are called "compensatory free agents" from their roster. Players who were considered part of the formula that counted against receiving compensatory draft picks next year.
The Bears were in line to receive a 4th round selection for the loss of Adrian Amos back in March. However, the Arizona Cardinals cutting Kevin White a few weeks back made that impossible. This means that if the team wants to get that pick back, they must unload one of the free agents on their roster. Among them include Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Buster Skrine, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Mike Davis. Among those four, it's not a hard sell on who would be the odd man out.
Davis was signed to a two-year deal worth $6 million by the Bears. It was hoped he'd become part of a committee backfield alongside David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen. Instead, he has 11 carries for 25 yards so far this season and has been almost useless on offense. Releasing him would do nothing in regards to that side of the ball and makes plenty of sense if it will give this team a little extra draft capital next year, right?
Crazy as it sounds, the results of this upcoming game in Philadelphia may determine it.
Chicago Bears win may convince team to keep Davis
The Bears are 3-4 at the moment and teetering on the edge. They seem unwilling to commit in any one direction. That's to say they aren't ready to give up on 2019 yet. Thus they've been reluctant to make any notable changes to the roster. Hence why Davis remains in place despite his inability to make any sort of impact. So what happens if they lose today in Philadelphia.
It would drop the Bears to 3-5 and remove pretty much any hope of making a playoff run. That could likely be the final nudge GM Ryan Pace needs to start preparing for next year. Cutting Davis would then make a lot more sense, at least in his mind. However, if they win? That might change the mentality entirely. Even with the running back unlikely to contribute to such a success, the Bears will want to keep him around anyway.
Why? Perhaps fear if Montgomery gets hurt or stubbornness that they don't want to admit they spent $6 million for nothing. Either way, fans should keep track of what happens after the game. It should be interesting.
