A few weeks ago, Jonathan Allen made headlines for using a bunch of profanities to vent his frustrations with the Washington Commanders as an organization. After the team’s 20-17 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday, Allen has done a complete 180.
Why? It’s all thanks to Sam Howell, who threw for 325 yards against New England.
In the postgame, a calm and eloquent Allen didn’t hold any praise back for the Commanders’ second-year quarterback. In fact, Allen went as far as to say that he believes Howell has the potential to be Washington’s long-term franchise signal-caller. This is high praise from one of the NFL’s premier defenders:
Jon Allen believes Sam Howell will be the Washington QB for the next decade. Strong praise here for the young QB. pic.twitter.com/j4UI3bRW6p
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) November 5, 2023
Jonathan Allen on Sam Howell: “I feel like we found our quarterback for the next 5-10 years, and I truly believe that.”
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) November 5, 2023
Hoo boy, Allen looks like he’s all the way bought in on Howell’s long-term potential. For what it’s worth, some numbers do back up Allen’s opinion. According to RBDSM.com, Howell’s expected points added (EPA) and completion percentage over expected (CPOE) of 0.075 through nine 2023 starts is 15th in the NFL. He’s currently sharing company with bigger names like Trevor Lawrence (0.083) and C.J. Stroud (0.073).
Howell still has a lot to learn before he really starts elevating the Commanders on a week-to-week basis. But it speaks volumes that Allen already thinks he’s going to get there.