Last month, the Pittsburgh Steelers gave former Chicago Bears lineman James Daniels a three-year, $26.5 million contract, the largest the team has ever given to a compensatory free agent in their history. Obviously, that has quite a lot to do with the rise in the salary cap, but the point remains that they committed significant resources to him.
A former second-round draft pick out of Iowa, Daniels is familiar with the colors he’ll be wearing in Pittsburgh, and is even expected to return to his old number (78). He figures to slot in at right guard, a position the Steelers hope he will make his own for a long time—well beyond his three-year contract.