Bears sign Davenport, patching the one defensive end spot that's been empty all camp

Marcus Davenport is in Chicago, and the timing makes the need obvious. The Bears carried Montez Sweat as their only defensive end with meaningful 2025 snaps — no viable depth behind him, no rotation partner, nothing. That's a thin arrangement even when Sweat is healthy and under contract. He's neither right now, having spent time on the Non-Football Injury list earlier this camp and playing out the final year of his deal. Davenport is the direct response to both problems.

The reunion angle here is Dennis Allen. Davenport came up under Allen in New Orleans, so there's at least a working relationship to build on rather than a cold installation. Davenport's career has been defined more by flashes and injury interruptions than sustained production, but that's roughly what this role asks for — a rotational presence who can give Sweat rest and keep the position functional if the contract situation turns complicated in the fall.

What Davenport doesn't fix is the larger picture. Dayo Odeyingbo is listed as Questionable, and the depth chart behind Sweat was empty enough that the Bears had a genuine positional crisis on their hands. This signing addresses the count problem. Whether it addresses the quality problem depends on what Davenport has left. That's a question camp will start answering.