Here’s how Caleb Williams, Bo Nix and the rest of the first-round rookie QB’s fared in NFL debuts
It was only one game, but each of the five first-round rookie quarterbacks enjoyed success in their NFL debuts, which took place during Week 1 of the preseason.
No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels made their debuts on Saturday. Bo Nix, the No. 12 overall pick, and No. 10 overall pick J.J. McCarthy made their NFL debuts on Sunday. Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall pick, and No. 8 overall pick Michael Penix Jr. kicked things off after making their debuts on Thursday night.
So, how did each one do? Here’s a breakdown of each quarterback’s debut, starting with the first player selected in April’s draft.
Williams created a highlight-reel play on his first drive. After a setback via holding penalty, the Bears found themselves in third-and-long, but Williams hung in the pocket and found wide receiver D.J. Moore for a 12-yard gain to move the sticks. On the very next snap, Williams pulled one out of his bag of tricks.
As the pocket collapsed around him, Williams flipped the ball forward to running back D’Andre Swift, who took off for a 42-yard gain.
That’s the type of improvisation that made Williams such a tantalizing prospect, and we got a glimpse of it in his very first NFL action. The Bears’ drive eventually stalled out in the red zone after Khalil Herbert was stuffed on a third-and-short carry, but Cairo Santos knocked a 30-yard field goal through the uprights to give Chicago a 3-0 lead.
Williams again showcased his playmaking abilities on Chicago’s second drive. He fired an absolute laser on the move to tight end Cole Kmet for a big gain up the right sideline, and later stepped up through the pocket and took off down the middle to pick up a first down.
The drive again stalled out in the red zone and ended with a field goal, but on his first two possessions, Williams impressed, going 4 of 7 for 95 yards, along with a 13-yard scramble, as Chicago put points on the board on both trips up the field.
Daniels took the field first and quickly made his presence known. The rookie’s first NFL pass saw him fire a screen over the top of Austin Ekeler’s head. But it didn’t take long for him to bounce back.
On the Commanders’ third play from scrimmage, Daniels found third-year wideout Dyami Brown streaking up the sideline for a 42-yard gain working against backup cornerback Jarrick Bernard-Converse.
That’s just a beautifully placed ball, thrown calmly from the center of the pocket at the top of his drop. And Brown does a great job of using his body to shield the defender away from the ball and then haul it in over his shoulder.
Perhaps even more impressively, Daniels apparently called the play on his own.
“He made a check mid-play. It turned out to be a big gain,” offensive lineman Sam Cosmi said, via the Washington Post. “We bunkered down and really went in there. He was calm and collected, which is what you want to see, and it was really impressive. We all sat on the sideline and we were like, ‘Dang, that was really fun.’ So, I think everybody should be very excited just from that little sneak peek right there. I know I am. I know I am. I know the guys are fired up. I think we got a dude back there.”
A few snaps after the big gain up the sideline (and following a prolonged measurement using the new virtual system), Daniels ran it into the end zone from 3 yards out on third-and-goal.
That’s a very simple zone read, with Daniels spotting the defensive lineman crashing down toward the handoff, pulling the ball out and taking off around the edge. After taking it across the goal line, Daniels went and handed the ball to his mom. At the end of his first career drive, Daniels was 2 of 3 for 45 yards in the air along with that lone TD run. Daniels was replaced for the second drive by veteran Marcus Mariota.
Maye played in just one series and completed two of his three attempts for 19 yards. His first NFL attempt was a 13-yard completion to Antonio Gipson off a screen pass on a third-and-12 play.
Based on how little he played, the Patriots are clearly easing Maye into live reps, which is what the Texans did last year with future Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud. Patriots coach Jerod Mayo did allude to Maybe getting more reps when the Patriots face the Eagles this Thursday night.
Penix looked the part of the Falcons’ future quarterback in his NFL debut. He started and played five possessions in the first half of Friday night’s preseason opener against Miami, led the Falcons to a pair of scores. He went 9 of 16 for 104 yards that included a nifty 41-yard completion to Chris Blair that set up Atlanta’s first score.
On his second-to-last drive, Penix helped the Falcons offense take advantage of great field position that was the byproduct of Kevin King’s interception. He completed both of his pass attempts on Atlanta’s ensuing drive that set up Carlos Washington Jr.’s short touchdown run.
By all accounts, it was a solid debut for Penix, who is coming off a highly successful college career at Washington that saw him throw for 4,903 yards and 36 touchdowns last fall.
“He wants one of those throws back that output he threw on the sideline, but he was able to through some progression. He was able to progress,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. “We get a little pass happy with him since he’s a first-round quarterback. It was fun to see him go out there and execute some of the pass plays and we were able to get some of the stuff done. … Pretty much, a really good night for him and I was really pleased with what he was able to do.”
McCarthy entered the Vikings’ showdown against the Raiders for Minnesota’s second drive. His first attempt was an 18-yard completion Jalen Nailor for 18 yards. His second throw, however, was an interception by Raiders cornerback Jack Jones. The pick was the result of an under thrown and ill-advised throw by McCarthy, who threw it after evading the Raiders’ pass rush.
McCarthy bounced back and made some impressive throws later in the game, including 45-yard touchdown pass to Jackson early in the second half. He later threw another touchdown and finished the day with 188 yards on 11 of 17 passing.
“Clearly, everybody can see the arm talent,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said of McCarthy, via Sports Illustrated. “I loved seeing him come right back after the interception and still be aggressive.”
By any account, Nix’s debut was a smashing success. He took over on Denver’s third possession, and during his five drives led the Broncos to four scores and 20 points. A fumble following a completed pass from Nix was the only drive where Denver didn’t score with Nix at quarterback.
Nix’s debut his first touchdown pass, a 1-yarder to Marvin Mims that gave the Broncos their first lead en route to a 34-30 win. Along with showing accuracy, Nix (who went 15 of 21 for 125 yards) used his mobility to extend plays and he was also able to pick up a first down with an 11-yard run.
“It was a good day,” Nix said postgame, via NFL Media. “I thought we ran the ball efficiently. Made some good plays in the pass game. Converted some third downs. Got points when we needed to; it was a good job going into half with points and coming out with points, felt like that was a good point in the game. Overall, thought we did a good job, huge team win.”
