Bears prepare to face 'big talent' in QB Jayden Daniels as Commanders optimistic he'll play Sunday
Just three days after the end of last season, it was clear Bears general manager Ryan Poles and his staff were deep into assessing options at quarterback with a stagnant Justin Fields in one hand and the No. 1 overall pick in the other.They were not necessarily set on USC’s Caleb Williams at that stage, but they were ready to make a move. Several quarterbacks in what the Bears viewed as a loaded draft class appeared to be an upgrade, and that included — high on the list — LSU’s Jayden Daniels.As the Bears vetted prospects, nothing moved them off Williams, and there’s little doubt the Commanders or any other team would’ve taken him if they’d been picking first. Poles attended Daniels’ pro day, but Williams was the only quarterback the Bears brought to Halas Hall for a visit.When they drafted him, Daniels fell to the Commanders at No. 2, and now the top two picks and last two Heisman Trophy winners will face off Sunday at Northwest Stadium.Daniels is welcome to interpret the Bears’ decision as a snub. But it wasn’t that they didn’t believe in him. They just believed in Williams a little more. Williams was thought to be more of a sure thing, but they saw the high end of his and Daniels’ potential as similar, and Bears coach Matt Eberflus hinted at that Monday.“He’s got a real good future ahead of him,” he said. “You can certainly see how he reads the field, his vision, his anticipation, his accuracy, his ability to escape, his ability to do the QB runs ... He’s a big talent.”That was evident immediately as Daniels opened his career red hot. He hit a snag Sunday, though, when he missed most of the Commanders’ blowout of the Panthers because of a rib injury and Marcus Mariota played for him, but coach Dan Quinn said Monday he is “hopeful he can play” against the Bears.It would be Williams’ first game against one of the other five quarterbacks drafted in the top 12 picks this year. He’ll face the Patriots’ Drake Maye (No. 3) in two weeks and could have a long rivalry with the Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy (No. 10) once he recovers from a knee injury that wiped out his rookie season.It’s a key game for both teams — and two quarterbacks vying for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Even with Williams’ recent uptick, Daniels has the lead.While Williams struggled through his first three games, Daniels was good in his first two, then great in his third: 21 for 23, 254 yards, two touchdown passes, a touchdown run and a stunning 141.7 passer rating to beat the Bengals.His 107.0 passer rating leads the rookie class by nearly 20 points over Williams and is sixth in the NFL. His league-best 75.6 completion percentage is more than 10 points ahead of Williams. Williams tops the rookies with nine touchdown passes to Daniels’ six, followed by Maye and the Broncos’ Bo Nix (No. 12 pick) at five.Daniels also has 372 yards and four touchdowns as a rusher, showing the blend of passing and running that made him a college star works in the NFL, too. In his Heisman season, he threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns while running for 1,134 and 10.“This kid provides a lot of challenges,” Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards said, emphasizing the danger of giving Daniels space to run.Daniels’ rise highlights one of the difficult components of the Bears’ rebuild. They’ve had to address the many issues they had when Poles and Eberflus took over, but their project also is competing against everyone else’s. The Commanders have won more games in Daniels’ seven starts than they did all last season, and if he keeps them on that path, he’s yet another hurdle for Williams and the Bears.
Just three days after the end of last season, it was clear Bears general manager Ryan Poles and his staff were deep into assessing options at quarterback with a stagnant Justin Fields in one hand and the No. 1 overall pick in the other.
They were not necessarily set on USC’s Caleb Williams at that stage, but they were ready to make a move. Several quarterbacks in what the Bears viewed as a loaded draft class appeared to be an upgrade, and that included — high on the list — LSU’s Jayden Daniels.
As the Bears vetted prospects, nothing moved them off Williams, and there’s little doubt the Commanders or any other team would’ve taken him if they’d been picking first. Poles attended Daniels’ pro day, but Williams was the only quarterback the Bears brought to Halas Hall for a visit.
When they drafted him, Daniels fell to the Commanders at No. 2, and now the top two picks and last two Heisman Trophy winners will face off Sunday at Northwest Stadium.
Daniels is welcome to interpret the Bears’ decision as a snub. But it wasn’t that they didn’t believe in him. They just believed in Williams a little more. Williams was thought to be more of a sure thing, but they saw the high end of his and Daniels’ potential as similar, and Bears coach Matt Eberflus hinted at that Monday.
“He’s got a real good future ahead of him,” he said. “You can certainly see how he reads the field, his vision, his anticipation, his accuracy, his ability to escape, his ability to do the QB runs ... He’s a big talent.”
That was evident immediately as Daniels opened his career red hot. He hit a snag Sunday, though, when he missed most of the Commanders’ blowout of the Panthers because of a rib injury and Marcus Mariota played for him, but coach Dan Quinn said Monday he is “hopeful he can play” against the Bears.
It would be Williams’ first game against one of the other five quarterbacks drafted in the top 12 picks this year. He’ll face the Patriots’ Drake Maye (No. 3) in two weeks and could have a long rivalry with the Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy (No. 10) once he recovers from a knee injury that wiped out his rookie season.
It’s a key game for both teams — and two quarterbacks vying for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Even with Williams’ recent uptick, Daniels has the lead.
While Williams struggled through his first three games, Daniels was good in his first two, then great in his third: 21 for 23, 254 yards, two touchdown passes, a touchdown run and a stunning 141.7 passer rating to beat the Bengals.
His 107.0 passer rating leads the rookie class by nearly 20 points over Williams and is sixth in the NFL. His league-best 75.6 completion percentage is more than 10 points ahead of Williams. Williams tops the rookies with nine touchdown passes to Daniels’ six, followed by Maye and the Broncos’ Bo Nix (No. 12 pick) at five.
Daniels also has 372 yards and four touchdowns as a rusher, showing the blend of passing and running that made him a college star works in the NFL, too. In his Heisman season, he threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns while running for 1,134 and 10.
“This kid provides a lot of challenges,” Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards said, emphasizing the danger of giving Daniels space to run.
Daniels’ rise highlights one of the difficult components of the Bears’ rebuild. They’ve had to address the many issues they had when Poles and Eberflus took over, but their project also is competing against everyone else’s. The Commanders have won more games in Daniels’ seven starts than they did all last season, and if he keeps them on that path, he’s yet another hurdle for Williams and the Bears.
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