NEWSLETTER
One of the Bears’ first free agent pickups of the offseason won’t make it through his first season with the team.
Here is the news of the day:
The #Bears are waiving RB Mike Davis, one of their free agent signings this past spring, source said. They gave him $6M over 2 years, but cut him after just 11 carries in part because of how it helps them get a comp pick. He’ll be attractive on the waiver wire.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 9, 2019
The Bears are set to waive running back Mike Davis, per NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport. It is a decision that puts Chicago to net a fourth-round compensation pick, though it was hardly expected. Logical? Sure. Sensible? Definitely. Heck, we talked about the benefits of making the move and thought it would be an easy one to make. Expected? Not entirely. Because even though it made sense for the Bears to cut Davis because it would get the Bears in a place to snag some much-needed draft capital, GM Ryan Pace hasn’t shown that he values compensatory picks as much as other front office types. Perhaps this is the first step toward getting on the right side of the curve. At minimum, at least Chicago is in position to land a compensatory draft pick for the first time in 11 years. PROGRESS!
Davis made $3 million to produce 25 carries on 11 rushes in seven games. The Bears hardly used Davis after Week 1, who played on less than 14 percent of the team’s offensive snaps. It looked like Davis had carved out a niche in the season opener as he appeared on 40 plays on offense, but he was in on just 31 plays over the next six games. There were two games in which Davis didn’t see any offensive snaps, and two others in which he was used on fewer than four snaps. In hindsight, signing Davis was a waste (especially if he was going to be used like this).
This move essentially serves as an admission of a misstep by Pace, who signed Davis early in free agency to ultimately serve as part of the committee of backs who were supposed to make up for the loss of Jordan Howard (who would be traded later in the month). The hope was that Davis would help the Bears’ running game upon signing with the team. His production as a back on RPO plays, stats that showed his tackle-breaking ability, as well as his pass-catching prowess were in his favor … but he never got a chance to show those skills after Week 1. But at least the Bears could get a draft pick for their trouble. Ideally, that prospect will turn into someone who gets into a game once in a while.
