The Chicago Bears offensive line had a tough time through the first three weeks of the season. Like everyone else, they were trying to find their rhythm in the new Matt Nagy offense. At last against what was a pretty good Tampa Bay defensive front, they had by far their best game of the season. Mitch Trubisky was sacked just once and rarely pressured.
One would think the team has plans to continue with the current combination they have, yes? Not necessarily. Something interesting happened over the course of that Buccaneers game. In the third offensive series of the game, left guard Eric Kush was pulled to the sideline. Rookie 2nd round pick James Daniels was inserted in his place.
The Bears scored a touchdown on that subsequent drive during which Daniels performed well. It was a surprising move by the coaches. An attempt to get the 21-year old some live game experience. Based on comments afterward, it might be time to speculate on whether a change is on the horizon.
Bears offensive line coach drops strong hints on future plans
Harry Hiestand is the conductor of this line group. He’s widely considered one of the two or three best offensive line coaches in football, pro or college. The man knows his business. So when he said he didn’t think Daniels was ready, it’s best to take him at his word. He stated that until the rookie could show consistency in practice, he should not get into games.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
It would appear that point has come. Based on his comments to Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic, it would seem the Bears may be just about ready to give the rookie his true shot.
“Eric’s a pro. Eric’s a team player. If you ask him, he’ll describe what his feelings are, but he’s going to do what’s best for the team and he’s going to do everything he can to get as many snaps as he can get and that’s what he focused on,” Hiestand said. “… Nobody likes to have reps taken from you, but he knows that James has been working hard and has earned his opportunity. It wasn’t given to him, he earned it. Kush was coaching James as much as I was during that game on the sideline, which is a great testament to Eric.”
James Daniels 3rd rep as a pro, pancake: pic.twitter.com/FkTTkKB3cS
— Brandon Thorn (@VeteranScout) October 2, 2018
Everybody knew it was only a matter of time before Daniels got on the field. He was way too talented coming out of Iowa. Many thought he should’ve gone in the 1st round. Instead, the Bears got him in the 2nd and based on the early tape it looks like they got a steal. With the bye week at hand and two weeks to prepare, this feels like the perfect time to insert him in the starting lineup in preparation for the Miami Dolphins.
