Jayden Daniels should be giving Bears fans FOMO with historic start

The Chicago Bears held the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and it was no secret who they were going to select. USC quarterback Caleb Williams was considered to be a generational prospect, and Chicago wasted no time in making him their first No. 1 overall pick in the Super Bowl era.

Williams was expected to immediately transform a franchise that has been starved of adequate quarterback play for most of their history. Chicago’s offseason was designed to be different from past failed attempts at finding a franchise quarterback. 

The Bears spent the offseason acquiring offensive talent for Williams. Chicago drafted wide receiver Rome Odunze with the No. 9 overall pick and brought in veteran Keenan Allen to join wide receiver D.J. Moore. The addition of running back D’Andre Swift in the backfield helped create a complete arsenal of weapons.

Yet, the Bears ignored their offensive line, and Williams has struggled in the opening month. Instead, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has looked like the best rookie passer through the first four games of the season.

Jayden Daniels could haunt Bears fans for years to come

The Commanders earned the No. 2 overall pick after finishing with a 4-13 record in 2023, and they used the pick to take the reigning Heisman Trophy winner.

Daniels began the season with offensive restrictions that limited him to a conservative approach, but the offense has slowly opened up with each snap. Over the past two games, Daniels has dazzled the league.

The LSU product completed 26 of 30 passes for 233 yards and one touchdown while leading the Commanders to a 42-14 victory in Week 4. The performance brought his completion rate to 82.1 percent, the highest in league history to start a season, per NFL insider Jordan Schulz. 

Daniels also became the first quarterback in NFL history to have two consecutive games of at least 85 percent or higher completion percentage (minimum 15 attempts in each game), according to Elias Sports Bureau.

Daniels may cause some undesirable flashbacks for Chicago fans, who have had some painful experiences with drafting quarterbacks. 

The Bears infamously traded several picks to climb up the draft board for quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who they selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Shortly after, the Kansas City Chiefs selected quarterback Patrick Mahomes with the No. 10 overall pick and the Houston Texans selected quarterback Deshaun Watson with the No. 12 overall pick.

The decision to pass on Mahomes and Watson has haunted the Bears organization ever since, particularly as the Chiefs have blossomed into a dynasty.

While Daniels has thrived, Williams has struggled behind a porous offensive line. The rookie had a 4.9 passer rating against the blitz in Week 2, the worst in any game since at least 2016, per NFL’s Next Gen Stats.

Through the first three games of the season, Williams completed just 59.3 percent of his passes for 630 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions. 

All hope is not lost for Williams, however. On Sunday, he played a much more efficient game. The No. 1 overall pick completed 17 of 23 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown. The turnover-free performance helped the Bears earn their second victory of the season. Although the numbers aren’t eye-popping, it was the best game of his young career.

While the Commanders have taken a conservative approach to easing Daniels into the NFL, Chicago seems to have less of a plan for developing Williams. 

A more intentional and conservative approach would likely benefit the young quarterback. If Chicago continues to drop back 52 times as they did in Week 3, the team will likely wish the team would’ve made a different selection with the top pick.