In the weeks and months leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears interviewed LSU signal-caller Jayden Daniels for just 15 minutes.
Why the minuscule amount of face time? With the draft’s top pick at his disposal, it was practically a forgone conclusion that Chicago’s general manager Ryan Poles had his eyes solely on 2022 Heisman Trophy winner USC QB Caleb Williams. However, did Poles and the Bears do enough homework?
What Led to the Bears Selecting QB Caleb Williams?
On the one hand, you can’t blame Poles. Some scouts compared Williams with Kansas City Chiefs’ GOAT-to-be Patrick Mahomes, while Daniels was likened to Baltimore Ravens speedster Lamar Jackson. While Jackson has the MVP hardware, Mahomes matches and raises with the Lombardis.
The Chiefs are a dynasty, while Baltimore hasn’t been to a Super Bowl since 2012 — when Jackson was 15 years old. That all being the case, in today’s NFL, you take Mahomes over Jackson because regular-season winning percentages and individual awards aren’t the grand prize.
On the other hand, any GM worth his salt would and should do every ounce of due diligence possible. Even if your franchise is mostly set on Player A, you talk to Players B, C, and D on multiple occasions because you don’t know what you don’t know. Player A may crush his interview, but the other options may crush it even harder.
One meeting with the presumptive Rookie of the Year? Apparently, Poles isn’t worth his salt.
NFL X Is on Team Jayden
During and after Daniels’ often-magical performance in the Washington Commanders’ playoff-clinching victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night in Week 17, NFL X (formerly known as Twitter) heaped praise upon Daniels while heaping, um, other stuff on Williams.
“Bears fans gonna have to hear years of ‘You coulda had Jayden Daniels’ in addition to the ‘You coulda had Patrick Mahomes’ aren’t we,” one fan said.
Bears fans gonna have to hear years of “You coulda had Jayden Daniels” in addition to the “You coulda had Patrick Mahomes” aren’t we
— nascarcasm (@nascarcasm) December 30, 2024
“Jayden Daniels just took an inept, laughing stock, doormat franchise to the playoffs in YEAR 1. Did the Bears even seriously consider him at 1.1? If not, Ryan Poles should be fired yesterday,” another said.
Jayden Daniels just took an inept, laughing stock , doormat franchise to the playoffs in YEAR 1.
Did the Bears even seriously consider him at 1.1? If not, Ryan Poles should be fired yesterday.#Bears#Commanders
— Ryan (@r_mack) December 30, 2024
“[Jayden] daniels is million times better then caleb Williams,” another fan said. “Taking a team who like 3 games the year before to the Playoffs in his FIRST year. Bears made a mistake… They drafted the wrong QB”
Jaden daniels is million times better then caleb williams
Taking a team who won like 3 games the year before to the Playoffs in his FIRST year..
Bears made a mistake
They drafted the wrong QB pic.twitter.com/WGVXHAAlLf
— OgnBurgh (@scottiloss) December 30, 2024
Some fans and pundits took a more analytical view when comparing the two rookie quarterbacks, pointing the finger not at Williams but rather at the Bears’ wobbly infrastructure.
“False. This kid has proven it this season for sure. Absolute baller. But the Bears issues lie soooooooooooo much deeper than just the QB position. They are an unserious franchise, owned and operated by non-football people masquerading themselves as football people,” one analyst said.
False. This kid has proven it this season for sure. Absolute baller. But the Bears issues lie sooooooooooo much deeper than just the QB position. They are an unserious franchise, owned and operated by non-football people masquerading themselves as football people. https://t.co/PmMTVE4kOZ
— Mikey “Beardown” Cuz (@BeardownCuz) December 30, 2024
“A lot of Jayden’s targets have been going to the first read,” another analyst pointed out. “Caleb’s been asked to pretty consistently make full field reads and handle a veteran level offense. Which was horrible coaching by the Bears. But I still think Daniels looks worse than Caleb in Bears situation.”
A lot of Jayden’s targets have been going to the first read
Caleb’s been asked to pretty consistently make full field reads and handle a veteran level offense.
Which was horrible coaching by the Bears. But I still think Daniels looks worse than Caleb in Bears situation
— Rishab 🐻⬇️ (@RishabSikri) December 30, 2024
Regardless of how Chicago got to this point, they’re at this point, which begs the question: Will they regret choosing Williams rather than trading down a spot (or four) and grabbing Daniels (or Bo Nix, or Drake Maye, or Michael Penix Jr.) and having some extra picks in their back pocket?
That is simply unanswerable. For now.
The Case for Jayden Daniels
But there is one question we can answer today: Is the 2024 version of Daniels that much better than Williams?
Based on wins and losses, that’s an unequivocal yes, as the Commanders and their 11 victories are headed to the postseason for the first time since 2020, while the Bears might finish the year riding an 11-game losing streak.
Based on stats, Daniels also gets the nod, as the only major statistical category in which Williams tops Daniels is interceptions thrown (nine for Daniels, six for Williams).
Big edge: Daniels.
But here’s the thing: We don’t know what kind of quarterback Williams actually is.
The Case for Caleb Williams
Coming into the season, it was believed that, with a wide receiver room featuring DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze, Williams was stepping into one of the most advantageous situations an NFL rookie quarterback had ever enjoyed.
But few took into account the quality — or lack thereof — of Chicago’s offensive line.
Save for a change at center — Coleman Shelton replaced Cody Whitehair — Chicago’s 2024 opening day offensive line was identical to that of 2023’s … and the 2023 line (Whitehair, Darnell Wright, Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, and Nate Davis) wasn’t one for the ages. In fact, it was widely regarded as a bottom-10 unit in the NFL.
Even with Moore, Allen, and Odunze in tow, there’s only so much a quarterback can do behind a below-average line, regardless of whether they’re a rookie or a nine-year vet. Williams is just nine sacks away from setting the NFL record for most sacks in a season.
Then, there’s the play calling.
Daniels’ game plans are dialed up by offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who boasts one of the slickest offensive minds in the game. Williams, on the other hand, was hamstrung with Shane Waldron until the former Seattle Seahawks OC was let go on Nov. 12.
For what it’s worth, Waldron’s Seattle troops didn’t give their former game planner a ringing endorsement.
Too Early To Tell
Heading into his rookie year with a high-end offensive line and an innovative play-caller, Daniels was set for success. (Sure, he didn’t have any toys like Moore and Allen, but Terry McLaurin, Zach Ertz, and Austin Ekeler are pretty darn good pass catchers.)
Williams, for his part, had a below-average retread offensive coordinator and a piecemeal offensive line, so the D.C. native was in a situation that was far more problematic than it appeared upon first blush.
Chicago is almost definitely in the market for a new head coach — Detroit Lions offensive wiz Ben Johnson is among the top candidates — and any new coach will undoubtedly bring in his own staff; in this case, the staff will include somebody (or multiple somebodies) whose job it is to fix both the Bears’ offensive line and their offensive playbook.
Until that happens — until both quarterbacks have the same tools in their respective boxes — we won’t know if Williams measures up to Daniels.
Let’s see if Poles gets this coaching hire right. Let’s see if the GM is worth his salt. Or let’s see if he simply chose the wrong quarterback and broke the Bears beyond repair.
