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It’s been quite the year for Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell. After Washington was eliminated from the playoffs in Week 17, head coach Ron Rivera named Howell the starting quarterback for Week 18 against the Dallas Cowboys. It took a little cajoling from Taylor Heinicke for Rivera to name Howell the starter.
It’s not that Rivera didn’t want to play Howell; he wanted Heinicke to start and bring Howell in to play the remainder of the game. Heinicke convinced Rivera that Howell earned the opportunity, and the coach agreed.
Howell played well in Washington’s win over the Cowboys. While he wasn’t perfect, no one expected him to be; he flashed his arm strength, accuracy, decision-making and running ability in the win. That was enough to convince the Commanders he’d earned the chance to win the starting quarterback position in 2023.
Much of Washington’s offseason has been making moves to support Howell. The Commanders landed two offensive linemen during the opening of free agency. Most importantly, Washington hired former Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to lead the offense. The Bieniemy/Howell pairing is critical to the Commanders’ success in 2023.
Howell earned praise from his coaches and teammates throughout the offseason. He did enough for Rivera to keep him at “QB1” heading into training camp next month.
If Howell can get off to a strong starting in training camp, it will go a long way in Rivera naming him the starter for Week 1. Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report recently named seven sophomores who must prove themselves at training camp. Howell made his list.
Ballentine wrote:
The Commanders also brought in Jacoby Brissett this offseason. The veteran signal-caller showed he can still be a respectable starter with the Browns last season. The 30-year-old finished eighth in QBR while starting 11 games.
Washington is heading into Year 4 with Rivera at the helm and has yet to finish with a winning record. The pressure is on to win, especially with an ownership change.
If Howell doesn’t show he can win games early, he could feel the pressure from Brissett.
Rivera has maintained all along that Howell needs to win the job. Brissett isn’t going to make it easy on him, and that’s a good thing. Howell doesn’t only need a solid start to camp, but he must remain consistent. If he continues to grow throughout the summer, he will be Washington’s quarterback in Week 1 vs. the Cardinals.