Ryan Poles has made one thing clear over the past month. He is not enamored with the Chicago Bears roster Ryan Pace left behind. Already Khalil Mack, Tarik Cohen, and Eddie Goldman are gone. Danny Trevathan will soon follow. The only players retained thus far are Sam Mustipher and Jesper Horsted and that is because they were cheap. With three games left before free agency begins, none of their big-name free agents have been re-signed. It is quite possible none of them will be. That includes James Daniels.
Going into 2021, every Bears fan would’ve agreed that extending the former 2nd round pick was a no-brainer. He’d played great the year prior until a pectoral injury sidelined him. There was no reason to think that would change last season. Unfortunately, Daniels picked a lousy time to have his most inconsistent performance as a pro. He finished with 40 pressures allowed on the quarterback and wasn’t much better as a run-blocker. Yet that doesn’t seem to have dampened his free agency prospects, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
It sounds like somebody will pay him, and the Bears will let it happen.
“Bears guard James Daniels is becoming a hot name of late. I talked to multiple teams who were high on him due to age (24), positional flexibility (can play guard or center) and mobility. Guards should do pretty well in this class — many teams need a good one — and Daniels is no exception.”
The sad reality is James Daniels always had talent. At various times during his run in Chicago, he looked like a legitimate Pro Bowl-caliber guard. However, he never seemed able to take that next step. Part of the problem was questionable coaching from Matt Nagy and his staff. Another part was health setbacks. Every time it looked like he was about to ascend to that upper echelon, something would hold him back.
In truth, he doesn’t meet Poles’ standards. Remember, the Bears GM is a former offensive lineman himself. So he has high expectations for that position. Don’t expect him to shell out $10 million or more per year to somebody he doesn’t think he can trust. Let somebody else take that risk.
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