Steelers OL James Daniels: 'I Like The New Offense'
The Pittsburgh Steelers cleaned house on offense following last season. Former Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith is now the offensive coordinator, and the change in style and philosophy is actually very welcoming to some.
Right guard James Daniels, a former second-round pick of the Chicago Bears, enters year three with the Steelers. He recently appeared on Steelers Now with Alan Saunders and he was asked about the new offense Smith is implementing.
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“I like the new offense,” Daniels said. “The offense is very similar to what [I played in] at Iowa so it’s pretty cool. I enjoyed Iowa’s offense so it is nice to play in an offense like that.”
The Steelers also look to start two rookies on the offensive line including center Zach Frazier and left tackle Troy Fautanu. Daniels praised their willingness to learn.
“I think the rookies have been good,” Daniels said. “They’ve came in and they’ve been very attentive. They have been always asking questions, not just asking me, but they are asking Isaac Seumalo, Dan Moore, like people who played a lot of football.”
At the very least, its very encouraging to hear about the hunger and drive Frazier and Fautanu have to get better every single day.
“We do a lot of individual work and the biggest thing personally for me is being around other people,” Daniels said about the offseason programs. “When Zach has a question or when I want to ask Isaac a question, I can ask him there on the field… Being a resource to a younger player or asking Isaac a question, you can’t get that at home.”
Daniels is entering the final year of a three-year, $26.5 million contract he signed in 2022. He said that the Steelers have informed him that no extension was coming any time soon, but he isn’t worried about that because he knows that a strong inside presence is highly valuable.
“It’s a good time to be a guard in the NFL,” Daniels added.
If Daniels has a big season inside for the Steelers, they will likely do all they can to keep the 26-year-old in Pittsburgh.