One Glaring Stat Encapsulates Early Struggles for Rookie QBs in 2024

Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix have yet to accomplish this one NFL feat.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams warms up before a game. / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Six quarterbacks were drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, and they are all off to struggling starts.

One statistic stands out when looking at how the six first-rounders have done: None of the rookie quarterback has thrown a touchdown through two games this season.

To be fair, only three of them have played in a game so far—the Chicago Bears' Caleb Williams, Washington Commanders' Jayden Daniels and Denver Broncos' Bo Nix.

Daniels won his first NFL game this past weekend, but the Commanders did so by making seven field goals. Daniels threw zero touchdown passes. Williams struggled over the weekend, throwing two interceptions and still no touchdown passes. Similarly, Nix has thrown four interceptions already, two in each game, without a touchdown.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and Atlanta Falcons signal-caller Michael Penix Jr. are backups for their respective teams, so they haven't been given a chance to throw a touchdown. Minnesota Vikings first-rounder J.J. McCarthy was supposed to battle to be the team's starter, but he is out for the season with a torn meniscus and never got to appear in a regular season game.

The rookie quarterbacks still have plenty of opportunities to prove themselves as offensive stars as it's very early in the season. Williams and the Bears will face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, Nix and the Broncos will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Daniels and the Commanders will play on Monday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The question now is, who will be the first rookie quarterback to throw a touchdown pass this season?

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