The Washington Commanders have found their guy. Sam Howell will be the starting quarterback in Week 1 against the lowly Arizona Cardinals.
The door was opened for Howell after the team released Carson Wentz this offseason, and fan-favorite Taylor Heinicke left in free agency. Despite the signing of veteran Jacoby Brissett and the hiring of offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, the job was Howell’s to lose.
Washington Commanders Name Sam Howell Starting Quarterback
The decision to make Howell the team’s starter was made after his first joint practice against the Baltimore Ravens, Via the Commanders.
Washington Commanders Head Coach Ron Rivera knew early that Howell was their guy:
“I think everybody knew from my perspective, it was Sam’s [job] to lose,” Rivera said. (Via Commanders)
Howell, reportedly at the start of training camp, took some time to settle in Eric Bieniemy’s offense but, in recent weeks, has distanced himself from Brissett in the quarterback race and even got rave reviews from Ravens All-Pro CB Marlon Humphrey.
“He looked really comfortable,” Humphrey said on Tuesday. He’s a second-year guy but he looked really comfortable at quarterback,” Via The Athletic
Why This Is a Good Move for the Washington Commanders
Under former owner Dan Snyder, The Commanders never found their quarterback. There were good moments with Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins, but the team never invested in skill-position players so that those QBs could succeed. Cousins was the team’s best quarterback in two decades, but they weren’t willing to pay him a second extension. For years, Washington tried to go with veteran stop-gap options such as Alex Smith, Rex Grossman, Donovan McNabb, and Case Keenum.
With new ownership, it looks like the Commanders are building with Sam Howell as their quarterback, and he has receivers who can take the top off the defense.
Terry McLaurin has put up three straight seasons of going over 1,000 yards. Dyami Brown, who was Howell’s teammate in college, hopes to have a more featured role in Bieniemy’s offense. Jahan Dotson had a strong rookie season with Commanders, as he had 31 catches for 523 yards and seven touchdowns.
It will be a tall task for the Commanders to get a playoff spot this year with the competitive NFC East. However, the Commanders are improving as a franchise, and in a couple of years, with Howell fully developed, the Commanders could be back in the playoffs once again.
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