Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels will not be on the field at the same time. Not even during Monday night’s coin toss between the Bears and Washington Commanders, as Williams chooses to warm up during that time.

Expect this Week 6 game to be billed Caleb versus Jayden despite that fact.

It’ll happen every time these two meet.

That’s part of being selected first and second, respectively, in the 2024 NFL draft. These two quarterbacks always wiill be linked.

It’s hard to find fault with either selection, considering the arm talent and raw physical tools available to both.

Plenty criticized the Bears for going with Williams No. 1 overall, but there’s belief that head coach Ben Johnson can figure things out with the quarterback. Those demanding Daniels also prefer revisionist history, as Williams was the consensus top pick at the time.

Statistics clearly show Daniels had a better first NFL season, though he was shepherded by Washington coordinator Kliff Kingsbury while Williams dealt with an offensive coordinator and head coach who were fired during the campaign.

Williams struggled as a rookie because he was young and his stewardship was lacking. He has head coach/offensive mastermind/former quarterback Johnson now available to him, a significant upgrade over a year ago.

The 2024 NFL draft class could produce six quality quarterbacks all taken in the top 12, a staggering sum for one selection period. Part of that is talent. It’s also situation.

Johnson analyzed them all in his role as Detroit Lions offensive coordinator, and he developed a belief in Williams and a respect for others in the class.

Johnson believed, as many did, that Williams and Daniels belonged atop the group.

“I thought it was a really strong class coming out,” Johnson said in his Wednesday media session. “It was probably one of the stronger in recent history. Caleb, obviously, felt highly about him, part of the reason why I wanted to come here, and I haven’t been disappointed with him whatsoever. He continues to get better, elite arm strength, the ability to extend plays. I don’t think a whole lot differently for Jayden.

“Jayden is an extremely accurate thrower of the football, something that I think gets overlooked when you look at him because he is so dynamic with his legs, and he hurts teams so much on the ground as well. So, I think there are probably a lot of similarities. I think these are two ascending quarterbacks in this league, and I think we’re going to be talking about them for a long time in the future.”

Daniels was picked second by the Commanders, but he doesn’t use the Bears’ selection of Williams as fuel to this point. Not outwardly, anyway.

“He got drafted No. 1. I got drafted second,” Daniels said in a Wednesday press conference. “Nothing we could do to change that.”

It sure seems as if both teams made out well. We could do a tale of the tape, but it doesn’t show much that matters. Daniels has missed some games. Williams wasn’t coached right from the jump. The numbers aren’t exactly equal, and that’s OK.

The bottom line is that Williams and Daniels vwill be linked by their draft status. Their relationship with management will be key to their success, but these two always will have friendly battles. How they guide franchises will be determined how these draft picks are viewed, especially in relation to their class as a whole.

“It’s a pretty bad-ass class, right?” Williams said Wednesday. “Six QBs going within the first round, within the first 12. So yeah, it’s a pretty good draft class. Obviously, guys are playing well. Just about all the guys. I think it’s going to turn out like a good one.”