The Chicago Bears offense isn’t exactly surrounded by optimism. Undoubtedly a byproduct of several years of ineptitude. Part of the concerns this year center on their offensive line. They released both starting tackles in the offseason and the unit didn’t exactly show improvement during training camp or the preseason. To say nothing of their health setbacks. Yet even now there are glimmers of hope. Take James Daniels for example.

Brandon Thorn of Trench Warfare is one of the more respected offensive line analysts out there. While writing his list of the 10 NFL blockers with the most to prove in 2021, he made the Bears guard #8. While there is some pressure on Daniels to play well give it’s a contract season? Thorns sounded like somebody who believes the kid is poised for big things moving forward provided he stays healthy.

“In 2021, he’s set to play his third position on the interior of the line at right guard, where the Bears hope Daniels can finally find a long-term home…Daniels looked like he had finally figured things out from a technique perspective last year at left guard before having his season cut short in Week 5 with a torn pec. Now in his fourth season, Daniels is still just 23-years old and has an opportunity to realize his immense potential. The Bears desperately need for that to happen because of the bleak outlook for their offensive line.”

He’s not lying.

Daniels allowed just four pressures without a sack as a pass blocker through his five games last season. Pro Football Focus also gave him a respectable 71.0 run blocking grade. It was evident he was playing the best football of his career up to that point. That is why it was so unfortunate when he suffered his pectoral injury. The momentum he was building was obvious. After he went down, the team took a long time to recover.

Eventually, they were forced to shift Cody Whitehair from center to left guard to help mitigate the damage. The veteran ended up playing so well down the stretch that the Bears decided they’d keep him there permanently with Sam Mustipher taking over in the middle. This meant Daniels would shift to yet another new position in right guard this year. Can he make that adjustment and still play at or above the level he was last season?

James Daniels has plenty of motivation

The former 2nd round pick will be a free agent this coming offseason. It is his prime moneymaking opportunity. Likely the biggest contract he’ll ever get in this league. So he knows he has to play well. The Bears certainly hope he does. They need him to become a fixture on this offensive line. One that lacks long-term fixtures at the moment. Whitehair is approaching his 30s. Mustipher isn’t a proven commodity just yet. Jason Peters is 39. Germain Ifedi is working on a one-year deal.

There is no question James Daniels has the most upside of anybody on that line. It’s a matter of whether he can make the adjustment to right guard without any dropoff from last year. This isn’t as easy as some people make it sound. Switching from the left side to the right side brings different requirements from every facet of his game. Hand usage, footwork, and so on. It’s totally different muscle memory.

Not easy.

Then again, switching positions is nothing new to him. Daniels did it in college at Iowa and he’s done in Chicago as well. His knowledge of offensive line play is quite advanced for somebody his age. He is 23 but already has three seasons of NFL experience. That is why optimism is so high. Daniels hasn’t even reached the typical prime age for players in this league. If he stays healthy, it wouldn’t be a shock if he were one of the better right guards in the league by the time this season concludes.