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Bill Barnwell, ESPN Staff Writer
Three rookie quarterbacks took the field Sunday, and all three came away with victories. That’s about all they have in common. While Jayden Daniels was carving up the Cardinals in the comfort of a domed stadium in Arizona, Bo Nix was just trying to hold onto rain-slicked footballs and survive during a brutal opening first half against the Jets in North Jersey. Caleb Williams was somewhere in the middle, with the first overall pick trying to do enough to hold off veteran Matthew Stafford and the Rams in Chicago.
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With all three rookies playing their fourth regular-season NFL games, I want to take a closer look at these victories and their starts to the campaign. Daniels is one of the stories of the young season and might be an MVP candidate, but where has he surprised? What’s missing for Williams? And is Nix making strides after impressing during the preseason?
I’ll touch on all three quarterbacks today, beginning with Daniels, who is inspiring comparisons to some of the best seasons produced by modern NFL offenses through four weeks:
Jump to a rookie QB:
Jayden Daniels
Bo Nix | Caleb Williams
What he did in Week 4: 233 passing yards, 2 total TDs, 1 INT, 47 rushing yards in a 42-14 win over the Cardinals
After a nearly flawless game against the Bengals on Monday night in Week 3, Daniels showed up in Arizona and looked like a 10-year veteran. Outside of a rare rookie moment on an overthrown interception in the second quarter, he picked apart the Cardinals from the pocket with smart decisions and accurate throws. He finished 26-of-30, becoming the first player in NFL history to complete at least 85% of his passes in consecutive games, per ESPN Research.
Let’s start by considering his brief pro career in totality. Over his first four games in the NFL, Daniels has amassed a 73.5 QBR. With QBR data going back through the 2007 season, the only passers to top that across their first four starts are Deshaun Watson, Dak Prescott and Brock Purdy. His most recent game jumped him ahead of Andrew Luck. These are quarterbacks who generally had immediate success that sustained in the years to follow, although Watson’s rookie year in 2017 was curtailed shortly after his hot start by a torn ACL suffered in practice.