Ryan Pace himself said it. The Chicago Bears are about one goal above all others in 2018. Do everything in their power to make quarterback Mitch Trubisky a success. Hire an offensive coach in Matt Nagy to install a proper system around him? Fine. Spend millions of dollars on several new offensive weapons like Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, and Trey Burton? Great.
They’ve covered just about every base there is to cover. All except one. The Bears offensive line can’t be considered better from where it was last year. Granted, they just hired the highly respected Harry Hiestand as their offensive line coach. Still, their most notable move in that area was cutting veteran guard Josh Sitton.
That changed Friday night as Pace brought his Trubisky off-season to its zenith by making a gigantic (literally and figuratively) addition to their front five.
Warren Harding's James Daniels is going to the Bears.
— Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) April 27, 2018
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The Chicago Bears offensive line gets way better with James Daniels
The saying goes they grow them differently in Iowa. This is true. That program is known for producing quality interior offensive linemen and James Daniels is absolutely no exception. He’s got good size and tremendous power for a center. His technique is polished and he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. Top that off with good intelligence and footwork, this kid is ready made to start in the middle for the Bears.
Here’s what a college scout told NFL.com about him.
“The Iowa guys are always going to be quick and proficient, but you have to see them tested against power because they are usually going to be a little smaller, too. This guy has decent size and I think he’s got pretty good functional power. He would come in and challenge for best center in our division right away.”
This almost guarantees the Bears plan to move Cody Whitehair out of the center spot and to left guard, filling the void left by Josh Sitton. One thing is for sure. The two happiest men at Halas Hall right now are probably Mitch Trubisky and Jordan Howard. Daniels is not only big for a center at 6’3″, 306 lbs with 33.75 inch arms. He’s also just 20-years old. He’s among the youngest players in the draft.
His best days are still well in front of him.
