Now in his fourth season as the head coach of the Washington Commanders, Ron Rivera has a record of 24-28-1. One reason for Rivera’s lack of continued success with the Commanders has been his inability to find a long-term answer at quarterback.
In his first season, Rivera inherited 2019 first-round pick Dwayne Haskins and veteran Alex Smith, who was making a miraculous return from a life-threatening leg injury. Things with Haskins didn’t work out; Smith’s return helped Washington win the NFC East. Kyle Allen and Taylor Heinicke also started games that season.
In 2021, Washington signed veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick. He didn’t even make it through one half, making way for Heinicke again. In 2022, the Commanders traded for Carson Wentz. He got hurt in the sixth game and returned later in the season, but Washington knew quickly he wasn’t the guy. Heinicke again started the majority of games for the Commanders in 2022.
Sam Howell, the 2022 fifth-round pick, started the final game of last season and played well enough that he went into the offseason as “QB1.” Rivera signed veteran Jacoby Brissett to compete with Howell, but Howell came out on top.
In four seasons as head coach, Rivera has refused to go all-in on a young quarterback until now. He passed on opportunities to trade up in the NFL draft to select a quarterback. According to Rivera, Howell’s performance in the season finale against Dallas won him and the team over.
Howell won his first three NFL starts, but was in for a rude awakening last week against the Bills. Howell was sacked nine times and threw four interceptions.
Welcome to the NFL, Sam.
On Wednesday, Rivera was asked about the Philadelphia Eagles and their development of Jalen Hurts. His answer was interesting, to say the least.
“I think that’s what you do, is you look at other teams that have had young quarterbacks come in and do the things that they’ve done,” Rivera said.
“There’s a lot of good young quarterbacks that have come in and have done really well, and there’s been some that have struggled. But you’ll never know unless you play him, and that’s what we’re trying to do right now: see what kind of growth we’re going to get out of Sam. He had a tough week last week, and we’ll see what he learned from it.”
Everything Rivera said is correct. Washington fans would probably like to know why Rivera took until year four to realize this. The quarterback position is the most important in sports. Either you have one, or you don’t. If you don’t, you’re stuck in purgatory, where Washington has lived for decades.
Instead of taking multiple shots on young quarterbacks, Rivera relied too heavily on past-their-prime veterans. Heinicke always saved him, even though it was clear he wasn’t the answer. Imagine Washington’s win/loss record without Heinicke over the past two seasons.
Now, Rivera needs Howell to be the guy in order to remain in Washington — and that still may not be enough. Rivera understands this, as the Commanders have new ownership. Nothing is promised.
We will also learn how much Rivera is invested in Howell’s development if Washington goes on a long losing streak. What if the Commanders are losing games, but Howell continues to show positive development? Does a coach coaching for his job look for a spark or ride it out with the young guy?
Can Howell bounce back from Sunday’s experience? If he does, that will tell you a lot about him. If he can’t, well, you know the rest. The Commanders believe Howell is different. We’re about to find out as Washington plays the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4.