Report: Steelers to reunite former Chicago Bears OL with Mitchell Trubisky
New Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is going to have a familiar face on his offensive line.
Pittsburgh is signing former Chicago Bears offensive lineman James Daniels to a three-year, $26.5 million deal, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo. Daniels blocked for Trubisky from 2018-20 before Trubisky left for the Buffalo Bills.
A former Iowa standout, Chicago drafted Daniels with the No. 39 pick in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He started the last four years for the Bears and came in as Pro Football Focus’ No. 33 free agent in this year’s class.
Daniels was part of an offensive line that struggled for Chicago in 2022. Quarterback Justin Fields was sacked 36 times during his rookie season as the Bears finished 6-11 in what proved to be Matt Nagy’s final season as head coach. Now, Daniels is heading to Pittsburgh to block for Trubisky, the heir apparent to Ben Roethlisberger.
Pittsburgh’s offensive line also had a rough go this past season, allowing Roethlisberger to get sacked 38 times. Daniels is part of the Steelers’ plan to build that unit back up.
Daniels isn’t the only offensive lineman the Steelers have signed. They also got their center on Monday, according to ESPN.
Steelers sign former Vikings center to three-year deal
Former Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings center Mason Cole intends to sign a three-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Adam Schefter reported Monday night. Field Yates quote tweeted the report, confirming that Coles’ deal is for three years worth $15.75 million with $11 million paid out in the first two years.
Out of high school, Cole was a four-star recruit, according the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average. He was rated the No. 83 prospect the class of 2014 and No. 7 guard in the nation, where he’d go on to play three seasons with the Wolverines.
Cole is entering his fifth season in the league. The 25-year old center out of Michigan was a third round selection (97 overall) by the Cardinals in 2018, where he would stay for three seasons before spending the his fourth in Minnesota. He was traded in March of 2021 for a sixth-round pick.
It took him a while to get his footing after the trade, but by mid-season, Cole was starting and proving he was worth more than just late draft selections. He would go on to suffer a season-ending elbow injury in late December and hasn’t suited up since. He is expected to make a full recovery in time for the Steelers’ 2022-23 season.