Last month, Bears head coach Matt Nagy said that the Bears were open to Cody Whitehair and James Daniels switching positions once the team hits the practice field.
During his pre-draft press conference on Monday, Bears general manager Ryan Pace echoed Nagy’s remarks.
Whitehair, who settled into the center position in 2018, played left tackle in college at Kansas City. Since being drafted by Chicago, Whitehair has played center and both left and right guard due to injuries to the offensive line over the past few years.
Daniels, who played left guard during his rookie season, played center at Iowa. When he was drafted last season, many believed he’d take over at center. But Nagy was adamant about Whitehair remaining at center, so Daniels saw time in the middle of the offensive line.
If the Bears choose to switch Whitehair and Daniels, it would be the only change to their starting offensive line from 2018. All five starters are returning in 2019, with tackles Charles Leno and Bobby Massie and guard Kyle Long joining Whitehair and Daniels.
While the Bears are open to exploring returning Whitehair and Daniels to their natural positions, ultimately that decision falls on offensive line coach Harry Hiestand. Whitehair seemed to hit his stride at center last season and moving him now might do more harm than good.
