Former Titan Nate Davis Signs Free Agent Deal to Join Chicago Bears

The Tennessee Titans will need to find a new starting right guard after free agent Nate Davis joins the Chicago Bears on a three-year deal.

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans lost guard Nate Davis in free agency as Davis signed a three-year contract with the Chicago Bears. Davis has played right guard for the Titans for the last four seasons after being drafted in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Davis will be joining the Bears on a deal for three years that is worth $30 million with $19.25 million guaranteed. Davis getting an average annual value of $10 million fits in the range of possible contract outcomes that were projected heading into free agency. While it is a solid deal for Davis, earlier in the day a similar player in Ben Powers got nearly $13 million in average annual salary. Based on that, it is a bit surprising Davis didn’t get more.

Three years, $30 million with $19.25 million guaranteed for Nate Davis to the #Bears. https://t.co/N2huCquEEL

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 13, 2023

More surprising is the fact the Titans didn’t bring Davis back at that rate. Davis has started 54 games over the past four years for the Titans. He dealt with some injuries over the last two years, missing eight games during that time. Those injury concerns may be the reason the Titans decided to let Davis walk.

The other side of this is the Titans’ situation. The Titans now have lost three of their starting offensive linemen from the past four season with Taylor Lewan and Ben Jones being released and Davis signing with Chicago. Starting left guard from 2022, Aaron Brewer, is currently a restricted free agent. That means the only starting offensive lineman still on the roster from last season is second-year player Nicholas Petit-Frere. Petit-Frere has some good moments for the Titans, but overall had an up and down season.

This should make Titans’ fans very worried. At this point, some of the best offensive linemen in free agency have already been signed and it is hard to see a realistic path for the Titans to build a good offensive line at this stage. There are definitely moves to be made in free agency and the NFL Draft, but replacing four starters with only $23 million in cap room and six draft picks is quite the ask.

Davis joining the Bears does give the Titans a chance at a compensatory pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but that remains to be seen based on what the Titans do in free agency going forward. 

This contract gets the Titans on the 2024 compensatory pick board with a 5th rounder for Nate Davis going to Chicago. https://t.co/oI8BQKInYd

— Nick Korte (@nickkorte) March 13, 2023

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