Sooner or later the Chicago Bears are going to put James Daniels in at guard. Why not make it sooner?
We knew this question was coming. Heck, it has been here since summer. When is James Daniels starting, and where? It probably should have happened when question first grew and continues to be a question surrounding the team.
Eric Kush is a fine player. As a depth veteran and a player who slide into guard or center, Kush is a valued asset on the roster. However, as a starter, he is the liability of the group. On Sunday night he was squared off primarily with Mike Daniels. Kush had his reps, but for most of the night, Daniels was winning.
In the play linked here, Mike Daniels swims right past Kush with an easy move to get into the backfield and engulf Jordan Howard. In this play linked, Kush starts by getting help from Cody Whitehair. Whitehair, along with Kush give an initial push to knock Daniels off of the ball. However, when Whitehair extends into the second level, Daniels knocks Kush away and ends the play.
Lastly, we see Kush struggling in pass protection. Jordan Howard is slated to give a chip block to Daniels, but before the play action is made, Daniels is behind Kush and into Howard, driving him into the pocket.
It was not an overall poor performance. However, PFF ranked him 45th amongst guards in Week One, the clear low spot on this line. The tape does back up that assessment.
So, it brings the real question as to how much worse could Daniels be? Heck, at least with Daniels you can see growth in his play to get excited about. We know what we have in Kush.
Cody Whitehair had a high snap as well. Whether it be guard or center, it does not matter at this point. Both spots could use a burst from a rookie with a high pedigree. The Chicago Bears have that. It should be time to make a move.