Jayden Daniels has taken the NFL by storm through the first five weeks of the 2024 season. The #2 overall pick has staked the Washington Commanders to a 4-1 record, amassing over 1400 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns. His numbers almost duplicate Robert Griffin III during his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2012. This has led many to state the Chicago Bears made a huge mistake taking Caleb Williams #1 overall instead, proving again they can’t evaluate the position. Ryan Poles had something to say about that.
The Bears GM made that final decision, feeling Williams had the most upside in the class. Does he regret it after seeing Daniels explode? Not in the slightest. He spoke to the media in London on Wednesday. He stated that no two quarterbacks reach their goals in the exact same way. Williams has no reason to pay attention to anything Daniels does. He must only focus on doing his own thing.
“The human side of it is you want your guy to just take off and roll, but everyone’s journey is gonna be different. I think the important thing is for Caleb to understand that as well and run his own race, and he’s done that well in terms of just focusing on how can I get better, how can I put our team in a position to win games.”
Ryan Poles understands this reality better than most.
He’s seen both sides of the coin. His best friend and former teammate, Matt Ryan, immediately got off to a hot start in Atlanta. It was one of the best rookie seasons in modern NFL history. By contrast, Patrick Mahomes sat most of his rookie year in Kansas City. Both players have built Hall of Fame careers. This is why declaring Williams a lost cause just because Daniels took off immediately is ludicrous, especially since the Bears quarterback has played a lot better over the past two weeks.
He has completed over 71% of his passes for 461 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. While Daniels has been great, it’s worth mentioning he hasn’t done most of the damage through the air. The Commanders QB has thrown 131 passes, ranking 23rd in the NFL. Washington’s success has come primarily on the ground, where they’re averaging 5.3 yards per carry. People overlook that he played poorly against Cleveland because they won 34-13. Racking up 215 yards rushing helped.
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Ryan Poles should not regret his decision. Williams is progressing rapidly and might already be a superior pocket quarterback. Every indication to this point says he will be really good.
My hope is always that a young QB goes to the right team so he doesn’t get used up, wasted, beaten down, etc. In this 2024 class it is looking like all of the top 5 guys got to go to the right team. CW was ready to start in a QB hungry city and they gave him the reins. It’s looking better by the week. JD got the OC he needs to thrive in Washington and that situation is looking very good for him. Maye got to sit a while behind a solid role model that everyone knew he… Read more »
Remember that the combined records of Washington’s and Chicago’s opponents were similar. At one point, Washington’s opponents were 9-15 (one already had their bye week), and the Bears’ opponents were 9-16. So, yes, Daniels has been more consistent and has won one more game. He is a fine talent and probably will succeed, but he lost to Tampa, the only winning team they faced. The Bears faced Houston and were one possession away from making a game of it, while Wash would have needed 2 scores. My point is similar to Poles’. He used an old saying: “Comparison is the… Read more »
Dr. Mel I was referencing QBR not QB rating. QBR is actually a pretty steady measurement of a quarterback’s individual impact on the game and is usually the more reliable indicator of a quarterback’s performance. For example Fields d has had a qb rating around 90 every game this year but his QBR is usually relatively low which is why people are pointing out that the steelers are winning with him not because of him.
Excellent take Dr. M. Well stated.
I don’t expect Jayden Daniels to hold up. He’s not a stout guy and I think some NFL safety at some point will put his knees or other various parts of his body out of commission. I wouldn’t draft guys like that. Caleb Williams is learning to throw first and scramble only when necessary. That’s the NFL. Who lasted, Aaron Rodgers or RGBIII?