Many expected this year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award to be contested by the top two picks: QBs Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels. While Daniels has lived up to expectations, it’s Denver Broncos rookie QB Bo Nix that has become his main competition for the award, rather than Williams, who has been inconsistent for the Chicago Bears.
Advertisement
On First Take, Shannon Sharpe spoke his piece about the intriguing two-horse race for OROY. While most still believe Daniels is by far the best NFL freshman in the league, Sharpe warned everyone not to count out Nix, who has led his team to a 7-5 record so far this year.
“I think it’s a dead heat… Jayden Daniels has had more moments… but if you look at the last five or six weeks, Bo Nix has outplayed him. I know a lot of betting sites probably still have Jayden Daniels as a slight favorite… But if you go back and look at the totality of it, and you look at the way Bo Nix has played the last two months of the season, it’s hard to believe that Jayden Daniels has played better than Bo Nix.”
“Bo Nix has been every bit as good, maybe not as flashy spectacular, but he’s been every bit as good as Jayden Daniels,” the former tight end continued.
.@ShannonSharpe says Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix are in a “dead heat” for Offensive Rookie of the Year ✍️
“Bo Nix has been every bit as good … as Jayden Daniels.” pic.twitter.com/tGTPnZ4j0w
— First Take (@FirstTake) November 25, 2024
As Sharpe pointed out, Daniels plays in a way that results in more eyeballs and attention than Nix. However, as the pundit also pointed out, after a hot start, Daniels has slowed considerably, while Nix has gotten better as the season has progressed.
Bo Nix vs. Jayden Daniels: Who has been better this year?
Jayden Daniels led the Commanders to an impressive 7-2 start this year. It was all the more impressive considering how low expectations were for the team as a whole in the offseason.
But Daniels was unflappable through those first nine weeks, as he sat 2nd in completion percentage (71.5), 4th in INT rate (0.9), and 3rd in passer rating (106.7) at that time. Those are certainly not the efficiency stats you’d expect from a rookie signal caller.
However, over the last three weeks, he’s started to look a lot more like the inexperienced rookie he is. Washington has lost all three games, and Daniels has thrown as many INTs (3) as TDs (3) during the skid. His completion percentage also plummeted to 61.5, and his passer rating (77.7) is the 3rd-worst among starting QBs over that time.
That little three-week hiccup allowed arguably the most unexpected challenger to emerge for Offensive Rookie of the Year: Bo Nix. The Oregon alum was expected to struggle mightily in a poor Broncos offense. Instead, he’s turned them into a legitimate playoff contender. At 7-5, they currently hold the AFC’s 7th and final playoff seed.
Denver has now won four of their last six. While the defense has been excellent, Nix has been the fulcrum of this strong run. Nix is top 10 in completion percentage and TD passes (11) across that time. However, it’s how responsible he’s been with the ball during this stretch that has been the most crucial: his 0.5 INT rate is 2nd only to Justin Herbert, and his 105.9 passer rating ranks 5th.
A few weeks ago Daniels was boasting odds shorter than -1,000 to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. His odds have since plummeted to -140. Though Daniels is still the favorite, Bo Nix is about as close as it gets at +120. Shannon Sharpe was bang on: this race is a dead heat through 12 weeks.
