HOLD THAT LINE
Nagy isn’t changing his tune on where Daniels, Whitehair will start off
Rookie James Daniels may very well have a future as the Bears’ starting center.
But as the Bears wrapped up their final two days of training camp at Olivet Nazarene University, coach Matt Nagy indicated that time has not yet come.
With three exhibition games to play this month, Nagy said Cody Whitehair will continue working at center, a plan the Bears stated when they drafted Daniels in the second round in April.
That could always change, but it remains the course for now, even as Daniels’ solid night as the second-string center against the Bengals on Thursday has sparked debate among fans. Daniels, who also played left guard in camp, has played more center recently as a calf injury sidelined backup Hroniss Grasu. Daniels started two seasons at center at Iowa.
“We like where Cody is,” Nagy said. “Cody is doing a great job. If you go back to OTAs, we said we want to make sure we keep him homing in on that position. … The center is like playing quarterback. So if you start moving guys around to different spots, now you’re playing with fire.”
Whitehair’s experience at the position and the trust he built with quarterback Mitch Trubisky last season undoubtedly play a factor in the Bears’ evaluation. A 2016 second-round pick, Whitehair started all 16 games at center as a rookie, but because of injuries, he made two of his 16 starts last year at left guard and two at right guard.
That doesn’t mean Whitehair, 26, is a finished product, and he acknowledged early in camp he needs more consistency with his snaps. He has said he needs to focus on completing the snap before transitioning to his blocks.
On a third-and-8 play on the Bears’ second offensive series Thursday, Whitehair’s shotgun snap popped above Trubisky, who had to hop to grab the ball. Trubisky darted to his left and threw an incomplete pass.
“That has a huge effect on the timing itself,” Nagy said of the high snap. “You can imagine it’s tough enough to be able to see the defense and know who’s coming and know who’s not, and when you have to jump a foot in the air and catch it with one hand, now all of a sudden you trigger your clock and your trigger is quick. So now everything is out of whack.
“Cody knows that. … He’s just got to keep working at it and keep practicing it, and he is certainly getting better.”
That leaves Daniels in competition at left guard with Eric Kush, who has made five starts since 2013 and missed all of last season with a torn hamstring. Offensive line coach Harry Hiestand said Kush, who is taking practice snaps at first-string left guard and occasionally at center, has demonstrated “toughness and strength and tremendous personal pride at getting his guy blocked.”
Nagy said veteran Earl Watford, who has filled in at right guard on Kyle Long’s rest days, is also in the mix for the spot.
“There’s three good guys right there who are battling it out,” Nagy said. “That’s good for us as a team. So we’ll just let them keep battling and see where it goes.”
Despite Daniels’ experience as a college center, the Bears want to hone his ability to play both positions. Nagy said Daniels, 20, is ahead of where the Bears wanted him to be in his development.
“He has a lot of room to grow,” Nagy said. “But the kid has the want, so that’s half the battle.”
Daniels held his own in his first NFL exhibition game. He helped the Bears drive 75 yards for a touchdown on his first series matched against the Bengals’ second-string defensive line, including ninth-year nose tackle Chris Baker.
But Daniels said his technique was lacking later in the game, most notably his hand placement but also his first step and pad level.
“You see a lot of offensive linemen get beat because of bad technique, so I need to focus on every play, working on my technique so I don’t get beat,” Daniels said. “Even when I am tired, it’s making sure that my technique carries on.”
Daniels said he goes to the practice field ready to play either position each day. He thinks Hiestand has done a good job preparing him by pushing him hard in individual drills at both positions so he can focus on one position during team periods.
“You’re going to have to play multiple positions,” Daniels said. “I’m not good enough to focus on just one. So I’m glad Coach is giving me reps at center and guard, so I can play whichever one, if the team needs me there.”