The manner in which Bears head coach Lovie Smith heaped praise on Kellen Davis this offseason made it sound as if the club would aggressively try to re-sign the free agent tight end.

"I think if you want to feature Kellen Davis you can do that," Smith said last month at the NFL Combine. "Great size, great in-line blocker, skilled enough of an athlete to be able to move outside and do some things. I really like him."

The Bears could still bring back the 2008 fifth-round draft choice, but they will have competition.

A league source confirmed Tuesday night that Davis is scheduled to visit the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers. The news was first reported by ProFootballTalk.com.

After the Bears traded away Greg Olsen last summer at the start of training camp, Davis started a career-high 15 games in 2011. An above-average run blocker, Davis caught just 18 passes for 206 yards and five touchdowns. However, those numbers did come under former Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz, who has always failed to truly utilize the tight end position in the passing game.

If Davis decides to not re-sign with the Bears, the club did express interest in tight end John Carlson on Tuesday, per a league source, but the former Notre Dame standout is currently scheduled to first visit the Kansas City Chiefs.