Getty The Bears are slated to let a former starting offensive lineman hit free agency.
After tearing his pectoral muscle against the Buccaneers in the team’s 20-19 win, Chicago Bears‘ guard James Daniels has officially been placed on injured reserve, the team announced Wednesday. To fill his spot on the 53-man roster, the Bears promoted offensive lineman Sam Mustipher.
We have placed LG James Daniels on IR & promoted OL Sam Mustipher to the active roster.
Mustipher, an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame, signed with the Bears last year, where he spent the entire season on their practice squad. This will be the first time he has been promoted to the team’s active roster.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Bears offensive line coach Juan Castillo said about Daniels’ injury Tuesday. “I could see it in his eyes. It’s sad because this is a young man who’s been working hard, playing better … He’s got a big heart, hard worker, everybody likes him in the room. It hurts to see something like that happen. The positive thing is he’s going to get back at full strength. He’s 23 years old, so he has a great future ahead of him. Those are things you have to look at when you have a setback like that, look at the positive things.”
Now, the Bears will have to move forward without Daniels, and they’ll need multiple players to step up.
Mustipher Will Likely Be There for Depth at Multiple Positions…
GettyCenter Sam Mustipher spent four years at the University of Notre Dame. He was promoted to the Bears’ active roster for the first time Wednesday. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
The 6’3″ 306 pound Mustipher spent four years at Notre Dame, where he was the team’s starting center both his junior and senior seasons. He didn’t give up a sack his entire senior season, and along with fellow Bears’ offensive lineman Alex Bars, he was part of an offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award his junior year.
Mustipher should serve as a security blanket of sorts for the team’s o-line. Daniels was starting at guard, but he was also the team’s backup center, so the Bears needed to add another experienced center in the event something should happen to Cody Whitehair. Now, he’s the next man up.
Alex Bars, Rashaad Coward Will Battle for Left Guard Spot
Nagy confirmed Wednesday that he doesn’t see Daniels returning this season. Thus, it will be up to second year UDFA Alex Bars and converted defensive end Rashaad Coward to try to fill his shoes, which won’t be easy, as he was playing well before he was injured against Tampa Bay.
Bars went in for Daniels after he went down, and he struggled against a very good Bucs d-line. If Bars’ struggles continue, expect Coward to get a chance to start.
“It’s a tough situation to roll into if you’re Alex, coming in against that stout D-line,” Nagy said about Bars after the team’s win over the Bucs. “I think that, again, effort-wise it’s good. There’s some technique things here or there. But for the most part, I was happy with how he (played). He had one or two in there — there was one in there that they got; that’s a part of this game. But I have a lot of confidence in him.”
Follow the Heavy on Bears Facebook page, where you can weigh in on all the latest Bears-related breaking news, rumors, content and more!