Jayden Daniels should give Bears FOMO fans a historic start

The Chicago Bears held the No. 1 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 making him the first No. 1 overall pick in the Super Bowl era.

Williams was expected to immediately turn around a franchise that had lacked proper quarterback play for most of their history. Chicago’s offseason was designed to be different from past failed attempts to land 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 DJ Moore. The addition of D’Andre Swift in the backfield helped create a full arsenal of weapons.

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

The Chiefs earned the No. 2 overall pick after finishing with a 4-13 record in 2023 and 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 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 as he led the Commanders to a 42-14 win in Week 4. The performance brought his completion rate to 82.1 percent, the highest in league history to start a season in the NFL. insider Jordan Schulz.

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

Daniels may cause some unwanted flashbacks for Chicago fans who have had some painful experiences with quarterback selection.

The Bears infamously traded multiple picks to move up the draft board for quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who they selected with the no. 2 in the 2017 NFL Draft. Shortly after, the Kansas City Chiefs selected quarterback Patrick Mahomes with the No. 1 overall pick. 10, and the Houston Texans selected quarterback Deshaun Watson with the 12th overall pick.

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

While Daniels thrived, Williams struggled behind a porous offensive line. The rookie had a 4.9 passer rating against the blitz in Week 2, the worst of any game in 2016, according to NFL 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, all hope is not 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. While the numbers aren’t spectacular, it was the best game of his young career.

While the Chiefs took a conservative approach to getting Daniels into the NFL, Chicago appears to have less of a plan for Williams’ development.

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