The Chicago Bears coaching staff has undertaken one of the most unusual depth chart moves in recent memory. Typically a team handles their offensive line in a traditional manner. Find your starting five guys and then stick with them all season long. This is because offensive lines perform best when familiar with each other.
The Bears haven’t done that, at least not for the past couple weeks. It start against Tampa Bay before the bye week. Starting left guard Eric Kush began alternating series with rookie James Daniels. The man many felt should’ve been the starter when the season began. This method continued against Miami last week.
Head coach Matt Nagy hasn’t shed much light on why he and his staff are doing this. The general belief is it’s a creative way to get the 21-year old Daniels some needed game experience. It’s obvious he’s the future at that position but why haven’t they just pulled the trigger already. He doesn’t seem overwhelmed by being the NFL.
Experts agree.
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Chicago Bears criticized for not taking the leash off James Daniels
Pro Football Focus in collaboration with ESPN broke down every position group in the NFL and determined who the most underutilized player was at each. Nick Chubb was at running back. D.J. Moore at wide receiver. So who was the man they chose for the interior offensive line? That’s right, Daniels himself. They explained why.
“A center during his final two seasons at Iowa, Daniels has plenty of experience at guard as he logged a combined 230 snaps at both right and left guard in 2015 for the Hawkeyes. His play so far with the Bears has prompted the proverbial changing of the guard as he got the start at left guard for Chicago in Week 6 against Miami. He’s allowed just one pressure on 31 pass-blocking snaps and is currently the team’s highest-graded offensive lineman (71.1), a grade that would rank 15th if he had enough snaps to qualify among the league’s guards.”
James Daniels 3rd rep as a pro, pancake: pic.twitter.com/FkTTkKB3cS
— Brandon Thorn (@VeteranScout) October 2, 2018
The fact that Kush is battling neck problems of late would only seem to make this move even more inevitable. The Bears play the Patriots at home. One couldn’t ask for a better setup to get him going than that. Still, the decision rests with Nagy. He’s the one who decides who starts and who doesn’t and he isn’t talking. So all people can do at this point is rest assured that Daniels will be the guy sooner or later.
