Commanders' Sam Howell: May have to compete with Brissett
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Howell is expected to enter the offseason program as Washington's top quarterback but could face competition from free-agent signing Jacoby Brissett, Zach Selby of the Commanders' official website reports.
Brissett is a solid backup, but it's good news for Howell if this is the only significant competition brought in during the offseason. The Commanders could still draft a quarterback, of course, but they seem to be high on their 2022 fifth-round pick after his strong showing last preseason and solid outing Week 18 against the Cowboys. While not exactly fleet of foot, the densely built Howell (6-1, 220) ran for 828 yards and 11 TDs his final season at UNC, then had 94 rushing yards last preseason and 35 yards and a TD in his lone regular-season appearance. The mobility should keep him in QB2 range, at least, if he holds on to the top spot on the depth chart, and he'll also benefit from a talented WR room featuring Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and Curtis Samuel (assuming Samuel isn't a cap casualty this offseason; a move that would save Washington around $10.5 million).
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Collects win in first career start
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Howell completed 11 of 19 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown with an interception in Sunday's 26-6 win over the Cowboys. He added 35 rushing yards and a TD on five carries.
The rookie quarterback tossed a bad red-zone pick early in the second quarter when the outcome of the game was still in doubt, but otherwise Howell was solid in his first career NFL start, hitting Terry McLaurin for his first passing TD in the first quarter and then running one in from nine yards out in the third. Carson Wentz has no more guaranteed money remaining on his current contract and is a candidate to be released, and Taylor Heinicke is a free agent in the offseason, so Howell could well find himself the starting QB for Washington to begin the 2023 campaign if the team doesn't pursue an established veteran.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Likely to debut Week 18
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Howell is slated to dress as the Commanders' backup quarterback behind Taylor Heinicke in Sunday's game against the Cowboys and is expected to get the chance to play his first NFL snaps, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
While Carson Wentz was on injured reserve from Weeks 7 through 12, Howell had served as the top backup, but he didn't see any game action behind Heinicke. However, with the 7-8-1 Commanders having now been eliminated from the playoffs after suffering a 24-10 loss to the Browns this past Sunday in Wentz's return to the starting lineup, head coach Ron Rivera appears prepared to drop Wentz to third on the depth chart in order to get an evaluation on Howell in the No. 2 role. It's unclear when the Commanders plan on having Howell enter the game in relief of Heinicke or if the two quarterbacks will alternate series, but the rookie fifth-round pick out of North Carolina looks like he'll finally get the opportunity to showcase his skills to some extent.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Healthy again Week 15
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Howell (coach's decision) has been deemed inactive ahead of Sunday's game against the Giants.
Howell was ruled a healthy scratch in each game before stepping up as the Commanders' No. 2 quarterback behind Taylor Heinicke since Week 7. However, previous starter Carson Wentz (finger) is now set to take over the team's backup duties after being activated from IR on Monday. Barring additional injury to Wentz and/or Heinicke, it's likely Howell will remain sidelined for the foreseeable future.
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Commanders' Sam Howell: Slide ends with Washington
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The Commanders selected Howell in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 144th overall.
Howell, like many of the 2022 rookie quarterbacks, slid further than many assumed, but he lands in an intriguing spot with the Commanders. A three-year starter at North Carolina, Howell is hardly a dynamic athlete out of the pocket, but he's mobile enough to extend plays at times and can make every throw at the NFL level. Given that the uninspiring duo of Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke sits above Howell on the depth chart, the 21-year-old could be in position to compete for a starting job in the near future provided he's able to develop and clean up his mechanics in Washington.
