Chicago Bears Training Camp: 5 position battles heating up

Left Guard getting interesting

When the Bears used their first — and, at the time, only — pick in the second round in this year’s NFL Draft to select James Daniels out of Iowa, most fans were thinking the same thing: Excellent pick. The Bears filled the void left by Josh Sitton.

Daniels played both center and guard in college, giving the Bears some flexibility going forward. Shortly after being selected, Daniels was told he’d be lining up at guard, thus keeping Cody Whitehair at center.

Through the first few practices at training camp, Daniels has not been playing with the starters. In fact, he’s had time mainly with the twos and threes. The common reaction to this is that the Bears are going to make him earn that starting spot.

Therefore, veteran Eric Kush is slotted in as the starter right now. Kush is a very capable player who has filled in at various positions for the Bears over the last couple of years. He is sometimes overlooked but has gotten better every time he’s come on the field.

I would assume Daniels takes over this spot before the end of training camp, but I would not be shocked to see Kush stand his ground. Again, he’s a very good player who has gone somewhat overlooked. This competition is going to be fantastic for Daniels in his long-term success. Let’s keep an eye on this one, for sure.