Disclaimer: This is not an attack on Norman Reedus. Reedus is an excellent actor. Daryl on the other hand should have had a short tenure on the show
1) His character was not intended to last long. right off the bat he was not written as a character with longevity. he had a clear archetype and while his character arc is often praised, this praise avoids the turbulence and the stagnation it took to get him to his current self. Daryl is the equivalent of a writer refusing to kill their darling and making their OC shine above the other characters.
2) He sees more prominence in the marketing and the narrative than Rick himself does. If you didn't notice, Daryl begins to appear more significantly in trailers on par with or even exceeding Rick's screentime starting with Season 4. He, moreso than any other, gets a subplot all his own that takes up considerable time and gets to lead certain episofed and endeavours.
3) Reedus could have pulled off a convincing Rick and had the chops to lead, as later seasons prove. Reedus plays Daryl closer to how Comic Rick was than I think Lincoln did.
4) Daryl got to resolve his beef with Negan where Rick never did and had a stronger on screen presence with Rick's kids
5) Daryl pretty much took over Tyreese and Abraham''s role, his beef with Rick, and his physical dominance.
6)Daryl invalidated Dwight as a character and forced him into another show.
7) Daryl's popularity created false expectations about his growth on the show, feeding into the character's invincibility. if Daryl does, we riot.
8) Daryl wasn't really allowed to be morally in the wrong with severe consequences that affect his role in the group dynamic.
