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The Washington Commanders hosted a flag football clinic over the weekend where team president Jason Wright, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Fred Smoot, Jeremy Reaves and some of the team’s rookies were among those present.
Wright spoke to the media, mostly about the sale of the Commanders and a potential future stadium.
Bieniemy also spoke, but thankfully, the new OC stuck to football. And the one topic everyone wants to hear about from Bieniemy is quarterback Sam Howell.
According to Bieniemy, things are going well with Howell thus far.
“Sam’s done a heck of a job,” Bieniemy said, per Zach Selby of commanders.com. “Sam’s very professional. He’s very critical of himself.”
Keep in mind, just as we stressed in Selby’s OTA report from Tuesday, this is early and means nothing in the grand scale of Washington’s 2023 season, which doesn’t kick off until September.
However, for a young quarterback, his first full offseason is critical. Coaches want to see if Howell can handle things from a mental perspective. Players want to see if Howell has leadership traits and is confident in what he is doing. After all, if the quarterback isn’t confident, why should any of his teammates be confident? This is a scenario Washington knows all too well over the years.
While Taylor Heinicke lacked the physical traits of a top quarterback, he believed in himself and his teammates, which is why he was beloved. Thus far, from his time with the team last season and in his first full offseason, Howell is showing some of the same characteristics.
So while it’s easy to dismiss positive things about Howell in May, every bit matters for the second-year passer. Howell and Bieniemy’s success is tied together in 2023. If Washington’s defense plays as well as it should, an upgraded offense, which should happen, could lift the Commanders to a potential playoff berth this season.