Grading NFL rookie QBs, other young signal-callers from Week 4: Jayden Daniels stays hot vs. Cardinals

Jayden Daniels continued to cruise within the friendly confines of Kliff Kingsbury’s system in the Commanders‘ third-straight win, Bo Nix somehow won despite throwing for 60 yards in the rain, and two young passers got injured in Week 4.

Because of the injuries to Anthony Richardson and Will Levis, early in their respective games, there was only four quarterbacks selected in the past two NFL Draft classes who saw considerable playing time during a tightly contested Week 4.

Let’s dive deep into the individual efforts of each quarterback and assign a grade on a per-snap basis, taking every individual aspect of their performance into account. At least 10 attempts were needed to qualify for this piece, which comes out weekly on Tuesdays.

Week 4 stats

• 12 of 25 for 60 yards, 1 TDs and 0 INTs

High-caliber throws/plays

• Nix demonstrated keen awareness and quality speed when he decided against throwing a pass before scampering for seven yards in the first quarter. 
• On a third-and-11 in the third quarter, Nix threw with tremendous anticipation and accuracy on a deep dig to Courtland Sutton that went for 29 yards.

Low-caliber throws/plays

• His first throw of the game was airmailed near the sideline to Sutton.
• Midway through the first, Nix attempted to throw across his body. The pass was woefully short and behind the receiver. 
• He missed well behind Sutton on a deeper crossing route in the second quarter.
• In the third, he threw too high on a throw into the flat to a running back.

Summary: The rain-soaked environment for this game likely made it very difficult to control the football for Nix, which eases the harshness of my grading here. But through nearly three full quarters, it was about as ugly as it gets for the Broncos passing offense. Essentially, one huge throw from Nix was the difference in this contest.

Grade: D+
Season Grade: C-

Week 4 stats

• 27 of 40 for 345 yards with 2 TD and 0 INT

High-caliber throws/plays

• On Stroud’s third throw of the game, he was unable to step into it, but still got it to Nico Collins near the sideline with some anticipation.
• At the two-minute warning, Stroud evaded multiple defenders in the pocket before finding Collins while rolling right on a throw against his momentum.
• With under 30 seconds to go in the half, Stroud found one of his tight ends down the numbers as he was being dragged to the turf in the pocket.

Low-caliber throws/plays

• On the final drive of the first half, Stroud missed a wide-open Collins in the end zone over the middle.
• Midway through the fourth, he uncharacteristically airmailed an easy dump off to Stefon Diggs while being pressured.

Summary: Stroud had a fine performance in the comeback win over the Jaguars in Week 4. The scheme provided a fair amount of open receivers, and he mostly delivered with on-time, accurate throws. And this wasn’t a game in which he stood in the pocket without pressure on most of his drop backs. The Jaguars rush closed in on him often, and he made plays from awkward platforms.

Grade: A-
Season Grade: B-

Week 2 stats

• 17 of 23 for 157 yards with 1 TD and 0 INT

High-caliber throws/plays

• Williams’ third-quarter touchdown to D.J. Moore was excellent. Looked left, came back to the middle, and without much room to step into the throw, placed the football to his receiver perfectly in the back of the end zone.
• Early in the fourth, he ripped a pass down the seam to Cole Kmet through layers of coverage. 
• With under five minutes in the fourth, Williams zinged an in-breaker to Kmet through a closing window for 19 yards.

Low-caliber throws/plays

• Midway through the second, Williams airmailed a Cover 2 hole shot attempt to Rome Odunze near the end zone.
• His last drop back of the game featured a bad sack in which he had a shallow cross right in front of him on third-and-7 but instead braced for the hit.

Summary: Williams didn’t take over this game, but it was a step in the right direction, as he was more efficient getting the ball out of his hands in a flash on throws underneath. The Bears didn’t ask him to be Superman, and he did miss on a few of his attempts for splash plays down the field. Not amazing, but encouraging. 

Grade: C
Season Grade: C-

Week 2 stats

• 26 of 30 for 233 yards with 2 TD (1 rush) and 1 INT
• 47 yards rushing

High-caliber throws/plays

• In the first quarter, with a defender floating underneath, Daniels threw with perfect placement on an out-route run by Terry McLaurin for 11 yards. 
• Early in the second quarter, he bounced around in the pocket, away from multiple defenders, and slipped through the line for a six-yard scramble.
• While the pass was a bit low, to start the fourth quarter, Daniels ripped a strike on an in-breaking route through layers of coverage.
• Later in the fourth, he looked left, came back to the middle, and then delivered a rocket to Luke McCaffrey at the intermediate level over the middle. Awesome throw. 

Low-caliber throws/plays

• Daniels’ interception thrown toward McLaurin was too high and a tick late. 
• He missed an open Noah Brown on a crosser in the fourth.

Summary: While the interception was essentially the lone big mistake in this game, Daniels was again uber-efficient within the confines of Kliff Kingsbury’s offense, and he flashed his athleticism when needed. Beyond finding open receivers — and there were many — Daniels did make a collection of high-caliber plays as a passer from inside the pocket and on rollouts. 

Grade: A-
Season Grade: B