Marcus Davenport Chicago Bears News Edge Rushers Practice Squad Roster Cuts
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The Chicago Bears have brought back a veteran edge rusher project just one day after leaving him off their initial 53-man roster at the NFL cutdown deadline.
The Bears officially re-signed veteran defensive end Marcus Davenport to their initial practice squad in a series of roster moves on Monday night, keeping him on course to potentially contribute to their edge-rushing rotation during the 2026 season.
Davenport signed as a 25-sack free agent with the Bears on August 17, but he did not practice once with the team before they made their initial roster cuts on August 30, raising questions about whether something went wrong with their plans to add him.
Now that Davenport has re-signed to the practice squad, though, it seems the cut-and-re-sign strategy was all part of the “plan” that Bears head coach Ben Johnson had mentioned when reporters asked him about Davenport’s expected role two weeks ago.
“I think he’s going to add some competition to us on the edge there,” Johnson said on August 20. “He’s still a very hungry and motivated individual. We’ve got a plan on how we want to come back and be able to help us out, so we’re looking to execute that.
“To me, it’s adding some depth there to that defensive end spot and giving him a chance to compete with the guys we already have.”
Bears Playing it Safe With Injury-Prone Marcus Davenport
The Bears seem convinced that Davenport has the potential to help out their pass rush at some point in 2026, but they are smart to play it safe with the injury-prone veteran.
Davenport has missed 56 career games in the eight seasons since he came into the league as the No. 14 overall pick in 2018. His injuries have been especially problematic over the past three years in the NFC North, limiting him to just four games in one season with the Minnesota Vikings and 10 games in two seasons with the Detroit Lions.
That’s a major injury risk, hence why the Bears didn’t rush him into action in camp.
The question now is: When will Davenport be ready to play for Chicago?
Based on injuries, Davenport could receive a call-up fairly quickly. Veterans Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo are both healthy and available to start for the Bears in Week 1, but Austin Booker is on the mend with a groin injury while Shemar Turner started the season on the PUP list, which requires he miss at least the first four games.
Then again, Chicago could give priority to defensive ends Daniel Hardy and Jamree Kromah — who both made the 53-man roster — before promoting Davenport. Hardy is more of a special-teamer, but Kromah impressed during his 2026 preseason action.
Will Bears Consider DE Upgrades Before Trade Deadline?
For months now, the Bears have been saying that they want to run things back with the same edge rushers who ranked them near the bottom of the league in 2025. They didn’t even sign an outside, non-rookie free agent at the position until Davenport.
Just how long will the Bears hold out if their plan fails to yield results early on, though?
While on-field success can override most nerves about the position group, the Bears must also consider the injury situations of both Booker and Turner. The latter tore his ACL in October 2026 and is still working back from the significant injury, but he could return to practice sooner than the four-week PUP window mandates — if ready.
Meanwhile, Johnson said Booker is “week-to-week” with his groin injury, but he has not yet said if he expects he will be ready to suit up in Week 1 against the Vikings.
There is a world in which both Booker and Turner follow short trajectories back to the field. But if injuries persist — or, worse, the results are not encouraging — then the Bears might not have the luxury of sitting on their hands until the trade deadline.
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Jordan J. Wilson is a sports reporter who covers the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. He has previously covered all levels of sports — high school, college and pro — for a variety of publications including The Indianapolis Star, The News-Gazette, Springfield State-Journal Register and Peoria Journal Star. More about Jordan J. Wilson
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