Ranking every 2024 rookie QB starter’s debut from worst to first

A trio of rookie quarterbacks made their NFL debut over the weekend. Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears, Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders, and Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos — the Nos. 1, 2, and 12 picks, respectively — all started games under center. That is just half of the quarterbacks selected in the first round, with Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr., and J.J. McCarthy all patiently waiting their turn.

It was not the best week for rookie QBs, if we're being honest. None of the names listed above were particularly impressive, at least not by usual NFL standards. Williams and the Bears won, but Chicago didn't score a single offensive touchdown. Nix was on the wrong end of a 26-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, while Daniels' Commanders were blown out of the water, 37-20, by Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It happens. More often than not, teams selecting quarterbacks at the top of the draft are... not great. It's kind of the point. Chicago poured a ton of resources into improving the offense around Williams, but the kid is 22 years old. He deserves time and patience. The talent is obvious.

Daniels and Nix, meanwhile, just don't have the weaponry to keep pace with superior teams. It's also their first week, too. So often we as fans rush to judgement, but most developmental arcs require time, experience. It's exceedingly rare for a quarterback, especially, to find immediate, unfettered success at the NFL level. That is the most complex position in the sport. So much responsibility is foisted upon the shoulders of dudes who, until this Sunday, hadn't played a single snap of regular season pro football. Give them a while to figure it all out.

All that said, there is still plenty of justifiable angst stemming from these fandoms. So, through one week, let's rank the performances of all three rookie QB starters and try to make out what the path forward is for each one.

3. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos

In an alarming development for the Broncos fandom, Bo Nix was pretty clearly the worst rookie quarterback to suit up on Sunday. It's one week, so take this with several grains of salt, but Nix is 24 years old — the oldest among his peers and the most experienced, having spent five seasons as a Power Five starter. If any rookie quarterback should be burdened by immediate expectations, it is Nix. The Broncos are counting on a rapid ascent.

Denver put up a strong fight in Seattle, but Nix was often a hindrance in that battle. He completed 26-of-42 passes for 138 yards without a touchdown, tossing two interceptions. He did add 35 yards and a touchdown on the ground, but Nix's impact was muted. Removed from the safety blanket of Oregon's dink-and-dunk offense, the No. 12 pick appeared completely out of his depth. The "quick processing" that Nix's pre-draft reputation was built on is less valuable when he just cannot make the throws necessary to consistently move the chains.

Nix has mobility outside the pocket and a generally sharp mind, so he should get better as he gets more comfortable. The Broncos, on paper, are arguably the "best" team starting a rookie at QB, although I'm sure Chicago fans will dispute that claim. We saw Denver start to build positive momentum toward the end of last season, even as the Russell Wilson relationship fell apart at the seams. There is a solid apparatus in place, starting with Sean Payton, who historically works well with his QBs.

The Broncos' Week 2 matchup won't get any easier, though. We just witnessed the Steelers defense put the fear of God into Kirk Cousins and the Falcons. T.J. Watt is a one-man wrecking crew and he is coming straight for Nix every snap this weekend. If Nix looks flustered under pressure again, the discomfort will become painfully palpable in the Mile High City.

2. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears

On the surface, Caleb Williams' debut was a minor disaster. He completed less than 50 percent of his passes (14-of-29) for a whopping total of 93 passing yards. In fact, Williams was pretty much the least productive passing quarterback in Week 1. He made up for it with a few nimble scrambles, true to form, but even that was limited (15 yards on five scrambles). Generally, it's hard to win games when your quarterback is responsible for a combined 108 yards.

And yet, that is exactly what the Bears did. They put the Titans in the bad place with a 24-17 comeback victory, spurred by a couple egregious mistakes from sophomore QB Will Levis. The Bears' defense was a machine and that appears to be the recipe for success moving forward — lean heavily on Matt Eberflus' ravenous defense while Williams comes into his own.

So, what slots Williams over Nix here? Well, we should judge rookies relative to expectations. What better way to gauge their true value? Nix is a five-year college starter whose pre-draft pitch centered on being 'NFL-ready,' not the sort of long-term project an aspiring contender might balk at. Williams is a couple years younger with plenty of room to grow. The Bears also, as a simple matter of fact, won their game. Nix's two interceptions proved catastrophic in Denver's loss. It's important for quarterbacks to add value and sustain drives, but it's also essential to avoid detracting value. Nix undid positive gains with boneheaded errors, which Williams mostly avoided.

This was a pretty clear example of working through day-one jitters. Williams was too reserved in his approach, which has never been a problem in the past. We are used to freewheeling, exceedingly bold throws down the field and improvisations outside the pocket. As he settles in and gets more comfortable, one has to imagine Williams will start the flash the dynamism that made him so special at USC.

1. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders

A bit of a surprise, although again, it's just one week. It is far too early for definitive takeaways. Jayden Daniels was the best rookie QB in Week 1 by a healthy margin, even as his Commanders were stomped by a dominant Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense. Daniels isn't responsible for Washington's defense and when the offense was on the field, there were plenty of flashes.

It was far from a dominant performance, but Daniels made the most of his unique skill set. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn expressed concern over how often Daniels ran the football (16 carries, 88 yards, two touchdowns), but it was effective. That is his 'superpower,' so to speak, and it's a nice safety valve as Daniels gets more comfortable with the speed of NFL offenses and his new teammates in DC. Sure, Washington wants to mount a more robust passing attack, but Daniels' ability to stress the defense with his legs and turn broken plays into chunk gains is a trait best encouraged, not stifled.

In addition to his productive afternoon on the ground, Daniels did complete 70.8 percent of his passes (17-of-24) for 184 yards. He needs to throw more, especially when one considers the context of that game — Washington spent pretty much the entire 60 minutes fighting uphill — but Daniels was impressively efficient in comparison to his peers.

His debut was not without blemish, as Daniels committed three fumbles on the afternoon, no doubt a product of his willingness to scamper and leave the pocket unprotected. But, the Commanders didn't actually turn the ball over on any of those fumbles and it's only natural for a jittery, run-happy rookie quarterback to deal with a few misplaced footballs.

Daniels was probably the weakest prospect of the top-3 picks this spring due to his age, injury history, and at times unconventional approach. He has much to clean up, but Sunday was an encouraging first outing for Daniels. He should only get more comfortable moving forward, even if the team around him continues to falter.