The Chicago Bears coaches have been somewhat dodging the question for weeks. It’s been made clear that James Daniels is moving to center. It was something they toyed with last year but decided against. Cody Whitehair remained in place while the rookie settled in at left guard. Now they’ve decided to finally make the move. So the big question is obvious.
Why did they wait this long?
Daniels, after all, was a center in college. It’s the position that got him ranked among the best offensive linemen in the 2018 draft class. This despite being just 20-years old. It would’ve made sense to put him there right away, right? Not necessarily. According to offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, there was a reason they waited before making the switch. It had to do with Daniels’ ability to communicate.
“He’s one of those guys that needs to do it before he talks about it,” Helfrich said. “Not that he’s going to puff his chest out about how great he is, but just having the confidence of communicating, the volume of confidence of communication. He’s done a much better job at that. Playing center has a different set of just ticks in his job description that require that more.”
James Daniels seems to have lost his shyness about talking
Most rookies when they come into the NFL are expected to be seen and not heard. They haven’t done enough in their careers yet to earn the right to talk and tell others what to do. However, Daniels now has a successful season under his belt. He understands the offense and necessary adjustments that must be made.
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Mitch Trubisky has taken note of how much more vocal he is.
“Hearing him make calls (and) just that constant communication back and forth, it’s been great,” Trubisky said. “I’ve kind of seen like a new side of him, as well, because the position change has forced him to talk a little more, be more vocal and he’s doing a great job of it. He’s a very football intelligent player.”
The belief is that Daniels is at his most natural position. The same goes for Whitehair at left guard. It’s easy to forget the Bears had intended to put him there all along back in 2016 before Hroniss Grasu tore his ACL. Since then they hadn’t found anybody better to replace him. That changed when Daniels arrived. At last, they can set things right.
