NEWSLETTER
There were fears late last night that Bears guard James Daniels suffered a torn pectoral muscle in Thursday’s win against the Buccaneers.
Those fears were reportedly confirmed today:
An MRI confirmed #Bears LG James Daniels suffered a torn pec last night and he’s done for the season, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 9, 2020
A source confirmed to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero that Daniels suffered a torn pectoral muscle, and that the injury would cause him to miss the rest of the season. UGH. What a bummer.
Daniels, 23, had made 31 consecutive starts and appeared in all 37 games since being drafted by the Bears in the second-round of the 2018 NFL Draft. The University of Iowa product was really coming into his own in his return to the left guard position. Daniels was PFF’s 24th-highest-graded guard and possessed the 15th best run-blocking grade among players at the position. An offseason of hard work appeared to be paying off in a big way. Unfortunately, the next step for him is a trip to IR and a road to recovery.
Second-year lineman Alex Bars filled in for Daniels last night. Bars gave up a sack on his first pass-blocking snap, but settled in after that inauspicious debut. Should the Bears want to go in a different direction, they have nine days until they take the field again. So there is some time to piece together a plan to replace Daniels in the lineup with external help if necessary.
