Former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive guard James Daniels is officially headed elsewhere. Per NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, Daniels is signing with the Miami Dolphins.
Per Pelissero’s colleague Ian Rapoport, Daniels is signing a three-year, $24 million deal with Miami. In Miami, Daniels could replace Isaiah Wynn at right guard once he gets healthy.
Per Over The Cap’s Nick Korte on Twitter, Daniels’ $8 million average per year could net the Steelers a fifth or sixth-round compensatory pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, as things stand right now. Korte said it’s a “borderline 5th-6th round pick.”
Daniels’ departure is no surprise and expected since the team drafted Mason McCormick in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He was expected to cash into a hot guard market in free agency but a torn Achilles in Week 4 impacted his market value. Instead, his focus has been on rehabbing and getting cleared for Week 1 of the 2025 season.
Signed by the Steelers to a three-year deal during the 2022 offseason, Daniels started 36 games at right guard for Pittsburgh. He played well though not elite and displayed a well-rounded game as an athletic guard capable in run blocking and pass protection. Per Pro Football Focus, he graded out as the 30th-best overall guard in 2023 with nearly identical run and pass block grades.
Without Daniels, Pittsburgh enters the season with Isaac Seumalo and McCormick as their starting guards. Despite McCormick being a rookie making the jump from the FCS to NFL level and shifting over to right guard, a position he hadn’t played before, McCormick held his own in 2024. Still, he’ll have to be more consistent in pass protection and his overall pad level to make a jump in his sophomore season.
Originally drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 2018 NFL Draft, James Daniels is still only 27 years old and could use this stop to prove his health and recoup his value. Despite coming off the Achilles injury, Daniels’ relative youth and overall production still netted him a decent contract in a good guard market, although it’s one that was similar to what he signed with Pittsburgh in 2022. Daniels’ contract with the Steelers was a three-year, $26.5 million deal.
With the guard market exploding over the past two years, Daniels likely could’ve received a larger contract had it not been for the Achilles injury. Still, he’ll be able to sign his third contract at just 30 years old if he plays out the length of his deal with the Dolphins, and he likely valued the stability of a longer-term deal coming off the injury.
