Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels Impress In NFL Debut

Top NFL draft picks Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels made their preseason debuts Saturday for the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders respectively. 

Daniels started first against the New York Jets, overshooting Austin Ekeler on a short ball, before connecting on an impressive deep ball to Dyami Brown for a 42-yard gain. Incredibly, his first NFL completion was almost an exact copy of his first college football completion.

Daniels then completed his debut drive with a 3-yard touchdown run, keeping the ball on an option play near the goal line.

Aug 10, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) rushes for a touchdown during the first quarter against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-USA TODAY Sports

Daniels was replaced by Marcus Mariota to start the Commanders' second series, cementing a short, but impressive debut drive for Washington.

First overall pick Caleb Williams though, played a bit more.

Aug 10, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) runs out of the pocket in the first quarter of a pre-season game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Caleb Williams Showcases Skills Through First Quarter For Chicago Bears

Williams' first completion came on a long third and 12, throwing an actual, non-Colorado Buffaloes, dart to DJ Moore for a first down. 

It was an early showcase of what made Williams special at USC and the clear first pick, as he showed off his improvisational skills on the next play, flipping the ball out of pressure to running back D'Andre Swift, who ran down the sideline for a 42-yard gain.

The drive stalled after three straight handoffs, leading to a Bears field goal. But Williams was back at it in his second series, again showcasing his creativity and arm strength on a 26-yard completion to Cole Kmet. Williams rolled out after play action, throwing a perfectly placed pass on the run without setting his feet.

Yes, it's the preseason, but not many quarterbacks can do that. At any level.

As is so often the case, it's easy to overreact on both sides to preseason football. Teams aren't usually running their standard playbooks, there's more rotation and effort levels aren't as high as they usually are to avoid injury. But for Bears and Commanders fans looking for reasons to hope, Daniels and Williams certainly provided some.