The Chicago Bears had a busy Thursday. It started by signing wide receiver David Moore and cornerback Greg Stroman after both had solid workouts to start veteran minicamps this week. Then a few hours later, they made another move by inking former Indianapolis Colts left tackle Julien Davenport. No doubt his experience was what they were looking for, given how young Teven Jenkins and Larry Borom are. GM Ryan Poles continues to tinker with that side of the ball.
Yet it might be time to wonder if the Bears’ leading man has a firm grasp on what decent blockers are supposed to look like. Lucas Patrick was a decent signing, but this one is anything but. Davenport was a 4th round pick in 2017. Since then, he’s done nothing to justify his continued presence in the NFL. Across 1,384 total pass-blocking snaps, he’s allowed 23 sacks and 128 pressures on his quarterbacks.
The guy has a well-earned reputation for being a human turnstile.
Chicago Bears are expected to sign veteran offensive tackle Julién Davenport, a former Houston Texans fourth-round draft pick from Bucknell, after a successful workout, according to a league source
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 22, 2022
someone should let julien davenport know he’s no longer on IR pic.twitter.com/qxKCVHBRMW
— josh houtz (@houtz) November 19, 2019
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While this was a critical third down completion, DO NOT ignore the pressure Julien Davenport allowed. This is the type of bad O-line play that gets a QB put on IR. Julien Davenport is allowing waaaaaay too much pressure on the left side. It is a problem! Must be fixed! pic.twitter.com/gWlxD8QtGH
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) December 2, 2019
ANOTHER destructive play from Julien Davenport. As I said yesterday, he’s entering the Dallas Thomas department of problematic play on the O-line. THIS MUST BE ADDRESSED. You can not be consistently manhandled as an O-line. I don’t care who the opponent is. pic.twitter.com/gcj2fHDtRS
— Omar Kelly (@OmarKelly) December 2, 2019
It is difficult to understand what Ryan Poles might be thinking here. The logical assumption is they view Davenport as nothing more than depth. He has experience playing both left and right tackle. Such players have value as primary backups, but not when they’re as unreliable as he is. It is possible the Bears GM simply saw somebody that checks his key free agent boxes of younger (27), physically gifted, and cheap.
Or maybe he was convinced by head coach Matt Eberflus to give Davenport a chance since he worked with the tackle last season in Indianapolis. Either way, one must hope he doesn’t end up on the field at any point this coming season. The likely result will be pain and suffering for Justin Fields.
On the flip side, the signing does offer one interesting note. It may indicate what the team is looking for in their future tackles. Poles wants size, length, and athleticism. Keep an eye on those types going into the draft next week.
