Caleb Williams will throw for the same number of touchdown passes as another rookie who wore No. 18
In an article from Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr 100 Bold Predictions for the 2024 NFL Season, he has Williams throwing 26 passing touchdowns this year, which will tie the same number of touchdowns that Peyton Manning threw in 1998 in his rookie season.
Peyton Manning threw 26 during his rookie season in 1998 (along with, many forget, 28 interceptions). Should Williams throw 28 picks, I would imagine the entirety of the Chicago Bears’ building would be cleaned out. How times have changed. Anyway, Williams has a great weapon set at his disposal and an offensive coordinator in Shane Waldron who really came into his own after the departure of Russell Wilson from Seattle.
Even though Orr has Williams throwing 26 touchdowns, he does not have him winning Offensive Rookie of the Year and has another quarterback taking home that honor.
Jayden Daniels wins Offensive Rookie of the Year
Caleb Williams might have been the first pick in the draft. Still, there was a very good player out of LSU last season who won the Heisman Trophy in quarterback Jayden Daniels, who went number two to the Washington Commanders, and Orr has him winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year, and here is what was written about Daniels.
The Washington Commanders’ quarterback has a veteran offensive line and receiving corps, plus a veteran running back to get him out of trouble. Schematically, I would hand the rookie QB advantage to Caleb Williams in Chicago, where the Shane Waldron offense will scheme up a lot of open looks for him. However, Daniels is going to make a lot of plays with his legs and fare well against a schedule that is not too difficult when it comes to defensive opponents.
My pick is for Williams to take home Rookie of the Year. He has many playmakers around him and is a little more talented than Daniels, but it will be very interesting to see these two go at this season.
