Prized Rookie QBs -- Caleb Williams, Bo Nix, Jayden Daniels -- Not Good Enough In First Starts

Maybe some day the big investment their NFL teams made on Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix will pay off in ways beyond just watching the rookie quarterbacks start regular-season openers. 

But that day wasn't Sunday.

All three rookie quarterbacks started Sunday and, well, let's just agree it wasn't awesome.

Daniels, the second pick of the NFL draft, was solid but mostly wasn't good enough. And the Washington Commanders lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Nix, the draft's No. 12 pick, mostly struggled. And the Denver Broncos lost to the Seattle Seahawks.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 08: Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears celebrates after the game against the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field on September 08, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears defeated the Titans 24-17. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

Williams Goes Home With W

Williams, the first pick of the draft, struggled. And while the Bears salvaged a victory over the Tennessee Titans, the rookie was more a reason his team didn't lose than a reason it won.

So, overall, much work to do.

But let's be positive first: Rookie quarterbacks not named C.J. Stroud typically struggle a lot early in their careers. That means their teams similarly have to endure rough times.

The Bears survived their first taste of that with a victory, which is the bottom line.

"Yeah, when you start a rookie quarterback, which we are doing, he's going to have ups and downs and good moments and other moments," coach Matt Eberflus said after the 24-17 victory. "Like I said, we just have to play well around him, make sure the operation's clean, make sure we don't turn the ball over and give people short fields and free plays. 

"And it's okay to end the series with a kick."

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 08: D'Andre Swift #4 of the Chicago Bears bobbles a handoff from Caleb Williams #18 during the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field on September 08, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

Williams Doesn't Care About Stats

Williams did his part in making that happen.  The Bears ended all nine of their possessions, before a game-ending kneel-down, with a kick – either a punt or three field goals.

The defense (interception return touchdown) and special teams (blocked punt return touchdown) did the rest.

Williams? Not great.

He completed 14 of 29 passes (48.2 %) for 93 yards. His passer rating finished at 55.7 which is not good.

"Yeah, I don't care about stats. I feel great," said Williams who added he still would prefer to play better. 

"I understand that obviously the stats weren't where I wanted them to be and things like that, because I want to go out there and perform to the best of my ability. Didn't do that today. We're going to get better tomorrow."

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 08: Bo Nix #10 of the Denver Broncos attempts a pass during the first quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on September 08, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Rio Giancarlo/Getty Images)

Nix Cannot Carry The Broncos

The Commanders and Broncos are similarly going to need more from Nix and Daniels because neither seem to be as talented as the Bears. So they may need to rely more on their quarterbacks.

Nix seems somewhat capable of providing that. He did this day.

Yeah, he threw two interceptions. And it didn't help that the Broncos were so inconsistent in their running game that Nix was forced to throw it 42 times on the road – which is not sustainable unless Nix suddenly becomes Dan Marino.

That stat, by the way, makes coach Sean Payton look a lot worse than Nix.

Nix did score one rushing TD with just over 2 minutes to play.

"He was sharp and I thought he actually extended some plays with his feet," Payton said of his Nix. "We have to be better around him."

TAMPA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 08: Jayden Daniels #5 of the Washington Commanders scores a rushing touchdown in the third quarter of the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on September 08, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

Jayden Daniels A Dual Threat

Jayden Daniels also scored a late touchdown run from 1 yard out to go with an earlier scoring run. Daniels combined for 88 rushing yards and 184 passing yards without a turnover.

"He got to fully express all the things that he has," coach Dan Quinn said.

But, well, not enough. 

The Commanders were otherwise run out of the stadium in Tampa and have much work to do. One of the things that has to happen is Daniels has to differentiate between runs in which he's trying to find time to throw and when he's putting himself in a position to be treated like a running back which is not sustainable for a rail-thin quarterback.

"I'm going to try to do whatever it takes to win a football game," Daniels said, suggesting he's going to continue to run if it helps his team.

Maybe. He has to remember his name is Jayden Daniels, not Brian Robinson. As to the rest of his first game…

"I mean, I grade myself hard, we didn't win, so," Daniels said, his evaluation trailing off into silence. "Obviously not the way we wanted to go. But we finished strong, ended up in the end zone, and we can build on it for next week."