NFL analyst doubles down on backing Caleb Williams over Jayden Daniels despite massive MNF performance
Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels are sliding into the roles presented in the 2023 NFL draft. Last year, Bryce Young was taken first overall and CJ Stroud, the second overall pick, was the one to shine. Thus far, Williams (first) has struggled while Daniels (second) has shined. Following Monday Night Football's display from Daniels, many fans are ranking him over Williams.
However, speaking on a September 24 edition of "Get Up," NFL analyst and Super Bowl XLI champion Jeff Saturday claimed Daniels would have struggled with the Chicago Bears too.
"Has Jayden Daniels outplayed Caleb Williams? Absolutely. But if the situations were reversed, I don't know that Jayden Daniels would be elevating to the level he is in the Chicago Bears organization," he said. [14:38]
Of course, unless one can visit alternate realities, fans will never know which quarterback would have been better with each organization. That said, in this reality, Daniels has taken an objective lead in the comparison to Williams.
Both have played one primetime game this season against similar competition. Williams faced CJ Stroud on Sunday Night football and lost a defensive slugfest.
Jayden Daniels faced Super Bowl LVI AFC representative Joe Burrow in a shootout and won the game after helping to score 38 points.
Jayden Daniels sets rookie completion percentage record in third start
The Washington Commanders have seen plenty of changes in recent years. From quarterback changes to ownership changes and even a new franchise name, the team appears to be seeing returns on their investments. Their latest return came on Monday Night Football from their new quarterback Daniels.
Daniels completed 91.3% of his passes against the Cincinnati Bengals. That is the highest rookie completion percentage in a game in NFL history, outranking Dak Prescott and Gardner Minshew. Both of those quarterbacks ended up sticking with the game long-term and in 2024, both are starters.
Of course, while Daniels deserves plenty of credit, his pass catchers from Terry McLaurin to Zach Ertz also deserve commendation. Even if Daniels placed the ball perfectly on 100% of his passes, any number of drops could have erased his chances of that.
At the end of the night, Daniels had completed 21 of 23 passes for 254 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
If any of the above quotes are used, credit "Get Up," and H/T Sportskeeda.