NEWSLETTER
You might have missed it while Khalil Mack was doing Khalil Mack things and Mitch Trubisky was stealing the show in a Week 4 Bears win, but rookie offensive lineman James Daniels made his presence felt against the Buccaneers and caught the eye of an all-time great Bears offensive lineman along the way:
In his first action of the year Daniels definitely looked like he belongs. At LG here. Get yourself your first pancake young buck ! pic.twitter.com/hCODCGKKDF
— Olin kreutz (@olin_kreutz) October 2, 2018
Daniels finally made his regular season debut as he played 27 snaps in the win against Tampa Bay. And after three weeks on the bench, Daniels showed why the Bears had him high on their draft board. He was strong at the point of attack, displayed agility and mobility when he was pulling on run plays and getting out into open areas in the screen game, and held his own as a pass-blocker. What else could you ask for from a guy coming off the bench in his pro debut?
Offensive Line Coach Harry Hiestand deserves credit for getting Daniels to the point where he can rotate series with Kush, but there’s one more hurdle to clear. The Bears drafted Daniels in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft with the intent on starting him at left guard (and not center, his natural position) as soon as possible. But that hasn’t been how things have unfolded, because Daniels lost out to Kush in the battle to begin the season as the Bears’ starting left guard. If Kush’s starting role isn’t on thin ice, at minimum, it appears the veteran will enter a time share with the rookie.
Daniels’ 27 snaps accounted for 44.3 percent of the team’s total offensive plays and coincided with Kush’s playing time taking a dip. Kush, who hadn’t missed an offensive snap in the first three weeks of the season, watched his snap share percentage drop to 60.7 percent in Week 4 as he played 37 offensive plays.
The Bears could have designed the Week 4 time share to get the most out of Kush’s veteran know-how and Daniels’ high-end athleticism. And it isn’t out of the realm of possibilities that Chicago could continue to do this as they try to squeeze out the value of what an experienced vet brings to the table, while also getting their talented rookie up to speed with life as an NFL lineman. However, it doesn’t look like it will be long until Daniels takes over the full-time starting role, as that would be in the best long-term interests of the team.
Chicago’s coaching staff will the bye week to analyze what worked and what didn’t in the first four games and what could make for the best options moving forward. As it stands, expect Daniels to play an increasing role starting in Week 6.
