Rejoice, Chicago Bears Fans. It Finally Happened

The shakeup at Halas Hall isn't over yet, it seems. Shane Waldron is out as offensive coordinator. Such was a necessary decision after his unit hit rock bottom over the past two weeks, scoring 12 combined points. However, head coach Matt Eberflus and GM Ryan Poles weren't done yet. After weeks of trying to avoid it, the Bears brass finally couldn't hold out any longer. Right guard Nate Davis, one of their prized free agent additions in 2023, has been released. He will go on waivers.

Nobody is surprised by this. If they are, they haven't been paying attention. It was evident even last year that Davis had problems. He missed most of training camp with various nagging injuries. Those followed him into the regular season. It was hoped this year would be different. However, it was more of the same. Davis seemed to avoid practice like the plague and found every excuse in the book not to return. He was finally benched a few weeks ago in favor of veteran Matt Pryor. The Bears still tried to keep him around as depth, perhaps hoping he'd come around.

Then, last Sunday, hours before the game, he approached the trainers with a "back" issue. He was deactivated for the game, leaving the Bears with only seven healthy linemen. It is a safe bet that moment was the final straw.

Keeping Davis likely didn't help the Chicago Bears locker room situation.

There has been plenty of talk about accountability and how the guys in charge haven't taken enough of it lately. The fact Matt Eberflus and Ryan Poles chose to keep Davis for as long as they did despite obvious signs he wasn't committed to working or playing hard must've sent a clear signal about their priorities. They were worried about the optics of releasing an expensive free agent so soon after signing him. Warning signs were present for everybody outside the organization. There is no question other players in the locker room saw it too.

If the team brass won't punish this guy for not working hard, why should I? That is the dangerous thought likely creeping through the minds of many at Halas Hall. Davis was tantamount to a cancer in that regard. Fittingly, the Chicago Bears addressed it too late. Now, the team is in complete disarray. There is no unity, and the credibility of the coaching staff has all but bottomed out.