Jayden Daniels should give Bears fans FOMO with a historic start

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

Williams was expected to immediately transform a franchise that has lacked adequate quarterback deployment for most of its history. Chicago’s offseason should be different from previous failed attempts to find a franchise quarterback.

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

Still, the Bears ignored their offensive line and Williams struggled in the first month. Instead, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels appeared to be the best rookie passer through the first four games of the season.

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

Daniels began the season with offensive limitations that limited him to a conservative approach, but the offense slowly opened up with each snap. In the last two games, Daniels has stunned the league.

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

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Daniels also became the first quarterback in NFL history to play two consecutive games with a completion percentage of at least 85 percent or better (at least 15 attempts in each game).

Daniels might cause some unwanted flashbacks for Chicago fans who have had some painful experiences drafting quarterbacks.

The Bears infamously traded multiple picks to move up the draft board for quarterback Mitch Trubisky, whom they selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Shortly thereafter, 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 move on from Mahomes and Watson has plagued the Bears organization ever since, especially as the Chiefs grew into a dynasty.

While Daniels thrived, Williams struggled behind a porous offensive line. The rookie had a 4.9 passer rating against the Lightning in Week 2, his worst in any game since at least 2016, according to 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.

However, not all hope is lost for Williams. 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 to their second win of the season. Although the numbers aren’t overwhelming, it was the best game of his young career.

While the Commanders have taken a conservative approach to ease Daniels into the NFL, Chicago appears to have fewer plans for developing Williams.

A more deliberate and conservative approach would likely benefit the young quarterback. If Chicago continues to fall 52 times like it did in Week 3, the team will likely wish they had made a different selection with the top pick.