When it comes to alleviating preseason boredom, few cures work better than a battle between the #1 and #2 rookie quarterbacks taken in the draft. It rarely happens, as we learned so painfully a few years back when Trey Lance and Zach were supposed to start up an ongoing highlight real.
But this year, it’s happening for real. Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels are giving us plenty of meat on the bone, and the best part is that it’s a fascinating study in contrasts. For game two, Daniels was under center in Miami against the Dolphins, while Williams led the Bears in their preseason home opener against Cincinnati. Both guys “won” this artificial mock battle, but the contrasts make it worth a deeper dive.
Caleb Williams sputters, then shines
Williams definitely didn’t look like “the guy” right out of the gate against Cincinnati. He felt more like a guy who’d been reading his own press clippings to the point where it seemed like things might take a bad turn.
But that feeling didn’t last long. Once Williams woke up and realized he had to get things organized, he did just that, then turned into the playmaker we all expected him to be.
His final drive was the most impressive. Aided by a running game that finally got untracked, Williams proceeded to throw a twelve-yard dart for a first down, and after that, he dropped a dime on fellow rookie Rome Odunze, who definitely looks like a keeper.
Odunze made a major rookie mistake right after that, though, catching a nifty TD pass with one foot out of bounds. But Williams had his back, orchestrating a brilliant scramble drill in which he finally got a lineman in front of him so he could scamper into the end zone. The results left Bears fans more excited than they’ve been in a long time, especially if they’ve managed to do a complete memory wipe on the regrettable Justin Fields experience.
Jayden Daniels: steady Eddie in the Miami heat
As for Jayden Daniels, his performance this week was longer and more understated than his lightning-flash debut against the Jets. He played more series, but Daniels didn’t need the extended exposure Williams got because he was nearly flawless from start to finish.
The new Commanders QB kept his throws short, but that doesn’t mean they were less effective. A steady stream of seven- and eight-yard outs set up some solid possibilities on subsequent downs, to the point where Daniels was able to keep the Miami rush at bay, which had to frustrate the bejesus out of new DC Anthony Weaver, who clearly likes to dial up his blitzes.
Daniels also showcased his legs this week. No one knew how this would look at the NFL level, but for this week, it came off as a great idea. Daniels is sneaky fast, and it never really looked like he was eating up ten or more yards at a time until the sticks moved for the next series.
He will have to deal with the issue of playing for a bad team, though. The Washington defense got shredded by Tua Tagovailoa, who celebrated his extension by picking apart the Commanders. On top of that, Kicker Riley Patterson flunked his latest audition, missing two very makeable field goals. While Tua was putting up touchdowns, Washington was coming up short on the scoreboard, so it could be a long year for Daniels regardless of how well he performs.
And the winner is…
Both QBs won here, so we’ll keep this short and sweet. Daniels gets the nod for consistency, while Williams takes the prize for big plays. Stay tuned for more as Chicago travels to Kansas City to meet Mahomes and the Chiefs on a short week, while Daniels will face the challenge of New England’s stout defense when the Patriots come to DC. After what we saw this week, you might want to lay in an extra stash of popcorn.