Tag: Sam Howell

Seahawks high on Sam Howell, expected to bypass QBs in 2024 NFL draft

The real focus of this draft should be at the line of scrimmage, which is where the biggest gulf is between Seattle and potential Super Bowl teams.

Seahawks general manager John Schneider likes to talk about drafting quarterbacks every year, which is what the Packers front office would have taught him when he was coming up as an executive. However, in practice Seattle has mostly avoided drafting quarterbacks and seems to strongly prefer players with pro experience over rookies at this spot.

The 2024 NFL draft offers a deep and strong class of QBs. However, the latest buzz coming via Adam Schefter at ESPN suggests they won’t be picking one because they feel comfortable with Sam Howell backing up Geno Smith. Here’s what Schefter is hearing regarding Seattle.

“With regards to Penix, though, it should be pointed out that the Seahawks are high on quarterback Sam Howell, whom they traded for last month, and feel he offers some unique advantages. The 23-year-old Howell started 18 NFL games for the Commanders, is the same age as Penix (and Daniels) and is one year younger than Bo Nix (Oregon). Macdonald and the Seahawks feel they have invested in their future at the position with a player who already has game experience. Bypassing a quarterback also would be consistent with Seattle and continue an odd trend for the franchise.”

This does make sense on some levels, especially considering Howell’s age compared to most of the ’24 quarterbacks. The Seahawks also have a very solid starter in Geno Smith, who seems to be getting better with age rather than declining.

Then again, we have to remember that teams gain exactly nothing from even suggesting their plans to a reporter – especially with three days to go before the draft. Also, history shows the team rarely if ever goes with the conventional wisdom about what they’re planning. Seattle has also met with several QBs, including JJ McCarthy, Bo Nix and Spencer Rattler.

Our best guess is that they would like to take a quarterback but won’t force it. If Michael Penix is still on the board at No. 16 overall or Rattler at 81 then they will at least strongly consider it.

However, the real focus of this draft should be at the line of scrimmage, which is where the biggest gulf is between Seattle and potential Super Bowl teams. Last season they were dominated on both sides of the line by every contender they played with the exception of Detroit.

Over the years Green Bay has proven there’s value in the long run in drafting quarterbacks before you need them. However, the quickest path back to the playoffs for this team right now is building up those offensive and defensive lines.

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Every move the Seattle Seahawks have made in the 2024 offseason

Next week the offseason will culminate in the 2024 NFL draft, so let’s take a moment today to review what the team has done so far.

It’s been an eventful offseason for the Seattle Seahawks and their fans to say the least. It began with a thrilling one-point win over the division rival Arizona Cardinals, followed immediately by a short-lived but silly controversy over cigar smoking in the locker room. Since then the team has changed head coaches, totally remade the back end of their defense and brought in another backup quarterback via trade.

Next week the offseason will culminate in the 2024 NFL draft, which is the main event of the non-football season calendar. Let’s take a moment today to review what the team has done so far. Here are all 32 of their major moves this offseason.

Seahawks roll dice on Day 3 QB in The Athletic mock draft

Geno Smith comments on competing with backup QB Sam Howell

Even though there’s technically no QB battle, Geno Smith knows he’s competing with Sam Howell and vice versa.

Technically there won’t be a quarterback competition for the Seahawks this summer, as there supposedly was in 2022 when Geno Smith and Drew Lock had a very quick and one-sided battle to decide who should start for Seattle. Regardless of how much projected backup Sam Howell improves this offseason, Smith is still by far the team’s best option to start in Week 1.

However, the nature of what Smith does for a living means he can’t ever stop competing. Every week, every day he has to prove himself not only against opponents but teammates and potential draft picks and free agents. Smith understands that as well as anyone, telling the media yesterday that he’s got everything to prove. Geno also knows he’s competing with Sam and vice versa.

While Smith is still the guy for now we can’t totally write off Howell replacing him as QB1 some day down the line. After all, Howell is 10 years younger than Smith and still has plenty of time to develop into something special if that’s in the stars for him.

Coming out of the 2022 draft class, our best and worse-case comp for Howell was Baker Mayfield, who’s had a rollercoaster of a career. Last season the Buccaneers got the best out of him to the tune of over 4,000 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 94.6 passer rating. Assuming that the two-high safety trend isn’t going anywhere, those are numbers you can definitely live with and make the playoffs with in the modern NFL. There’s also a distinct chance that Howell’s ceiling is higher than Mayfield’s turned out to be.

No matter how this year plays out with Geno Smith, fans should probably expect Howell to compete with another young quarterback – likely a 2024 or 2025 draft pick to start the season after next.

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Report: Rams ‘wanted Sam Howell badly’ but got outbid by Seahawks

The Rams reportedly wanted Sam Howell “badly” but the Seahawks outbid them in a trade with the Commanders

The Los Angeles Rams were in search of a backup quarterback this offseason after struggling to find a reliable option last year. They chose not to re-sign Carson Wentz and instead brought in Jimmy Garoppolo to back up Matthew Stafford, but he may not have been their first choice.

Mike Garafolo of NFL Network recently said on Puck Sports that the Rams wanted Sam Howell “badly” before he was traded to Seattle. The Seahawks outbid the Rams for Howell, sending a third- and fifth-round pick to Washington for Howell, a fourth-rounder and a sixth-rounder.

It’s unclear what the Rams offered, or if they made an offer at all, but Garafolo says they “really liked him.”

“They outbid the Rams, who I know that there was a strong feeling on the Rams’ coaching staff that they wanted Sam Howell badly,” Garafolo said. “They really liked him. So the Seahawks were able to outbid them, so that’s good. You got him and you also kept him away from a team that really could’ve used him as a potential successor there.”

A Day 3 pick-swap isn’t exactly a high price to pay, so if the Rams really did want him that badly, they should’ve been able to get something done.

Howell started all 17 games for the Commanders last year, leading the NFL with 612 pass attempts and 21 interceptions. He did have 21 touchdown passes and completed 63.4% of his passes, but he struggled with turnovers.

Still only 23 years old, Howell would’ve been a good, young quarterback to bring in, but the Rams missed out and will now hope Stetson Bennett can show some signs of being a potential successor behind Stafford.

2024 NFL draft: How old are some of the draft’s top quarterback prospects?

Sam Howell is younger than two of the 2024 NFL draft’s top QB prospects.

Sam Howell, Washington’s starter during the 2023 season, is actually still younger than 2024 NFL draft prospects Bo Nix and Michael Penix.

Yet, the Commanders new administration already determined the better thing for the Commanders was to go ahead and trade Howell.

Howell, entering his third NFL season, will turn 24 in September. Bo Nix, who quarterbacked at Auburn and then Oregon, is already 24, and Michael Penix, who was under center at Indiana and later Washington (Huskies), will turn 24 on May 8.

The question has been raised, “Did Adam Peters and Dan Quinn give up too soon on Sam Howell?” Of course, the answer is not going to be a simplistic yes or no. That’s because it is much too early to know. There simply is not enough data at this point to make an altogether certain conclusion either way.

USC quarterback Caleb Williams will turn 23 in November. Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy will not turn age 22 until Jan. 2025. LSU’s Jayden Daniels will turn 24 on Dec. 18, and Drake Maye (North Carolina) will be 22 on Aug. 30.

All of these players have different amounts of experience in different situations. Penix attempted the most passes of college quarterbacks (555). Nix (8th) attempted 470, while Maye attempted 425 (18th).

Contrast this with McCarthy (332), where Michigan’s defense kept them in every game. They won the national championship with a tough defense and an effective running game. They simply didn’t need McCarthy to throw nearly as much.

Consequently, just because there was less opportunity for McCarthy to throw does not mean he can’t be a capable passer in the NFL.

Howell had played in one NFL game when he became the starter for 2023. He showed flashes early in the season, but following the Seattle game, Howell noticeably dropped off in effectiveness and confidence.

Should Washington have traded Howell? At this point, we have no idea how Howell will respond to last season’s descending second half. Perhaps the new scenery and new coaching staff will do him well.

There have been reports that Sean McVay (Rams) and Sean Payton (Broncos) were also interested in Howell. That speaks well for Howell.

At this point, only one thing is certain: the Commanders “felt” it better that Howell not remain here as either the starter or backup to the quarterback they are going to select at No. 2 overall.

Rams ‘badly wanted’ Sam Howell before Commanders traded him to the Seahawks

Sean McVay reportedly wanted Sam Howell before he was traded to the Seahawks.

For about 10 weeks last fall, Washington Commanders’ fans believed they’d found a franchise quarterback. Despite the chaos around him, Sam Howell had some impressive moments throughout the first half of last season.

Unfortunately for Howell and Washington, it all came crashing down as the Commanders lost their final eight games.

Some of it was Howell’s fault, some was due to the talent around him, and a lot of it was coaching. When you add it all together, it meant big changes were in store for the Commanders.

After firing Ron Rivera, Washington hired Adam Peters as the new general manager, and the changes began. The Commanders hired Dan Quinn as head coach and were busy during the early stages of free agency upgrading the roster. Washington traded Howell to the Seattle Seahawks during that first week of free agency. In return, the Commanders swapped multiple draft picks, including landing Seattle’s third-round pick (No. 78 overall).

Seattle GM John Schneider was relieved to come away with Howell, admitting multiple teams were in contention for the 2022 fifth-round pick.

We’ve now learned the Los Angeles Rams were one of those teams.

In an appearance on the PuckSports podcast, NFL Network’s Mike Garofolo revealed that the Rams badly wanted Howell behind Matthew Stafford.

“They [Seattle Seahawks] outbid the Rams, who I know that there was a strong feeling from the Rams coaching staff that they wanted Sam Howell badly,” Garofolo said.

“They really liked him, so the Seahawks were able to outbid them. So that’s good. You got him. You also kept him away from a team that really could have used him as a potential successor there.”

Rams head coach Sean McVay wanted Howell, which should tell you something. Also, the Denver Broncos were reportedly among the teams interested in Sam Howell. Regardless of what you think of his work in Denver last year, Sean Payton is a future Hall of Fame head coach.

That’s two of the NFL’s premier offensive minds wanting to work with Howell.

There were hot takes from a segment of Washington’s fan base that said Howell couldn’t play. McVay, Payton and Schneider all wanted Howell. He can play. Whether it’s as a long-term starter or a high-end backup, Howell will be in the NFL for a long time.

With Stafford entering his 16th NFL season in 2024, perhaps McVay viewed Howell as the potential heir apparent.

Seahawks outbid Rams for QB Sam Howell

Seahawks outbid Rams for QB Sam Howell

The Seattle Seahawks surely made plenty of 12’s around the Pacific Northwest scratch their heads when they traded for former Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell. Some were not thrilled at the move. Whether it was being unimpressed by Howell’s play or the fact he likely signifies the Seahawks will not be drafting a top quarterback prospect, this was not a move that made many excited.

However, there was an interesting little tidbit shared recently that might change some opinions… at least a little. It turns out there was a bit of a bidding war for Howell’s services, which the Seahawks won. But who did they beat? The Los Angeles Rams.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford’s future has been up in the air for some time now. Stafford’s age and constant injury history has left Los Angeles actively planning for his eventual succession, one they reportedly tried to facilitate last year. Instead, they had to settle for former Patriots, 49ers and Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

Given how well Rams head coach Sean McVay knows quarterbacks and offenses, it has to be at least encouraging to know he was pining after Howell… but was denied access to him by Seattle.

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Commanders WR Terry McLaurin remains a believer in Sam Howell

Terry McLaurin believes the future is still bright for Sam Howell.

At this time last offseason, head coach then-Washington head coach Ron Rivera and multiple players were singing the praises of rising second-year quarterback Sam Howell. After an impressive first start during the 2022 regular-season finale against Dallas, Rivera chose to give Howell the reins at quarterback in 2023.

One of those who believed in Howell from the start was star wide receiver Terry McLaurin. Throughout the offseason, McLaurin spoke of Howell’s work ethic and progress.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as Rivera had hoped in 2023. Washington won four games, and after an impressive first half of the season, Howell struggled in the second half of the season. While he did start all 17 games, he was benched twice late in the season.

The Commanders fired Rivera in January, hiring Adam Peters as the new general manager and Dan Quinn as the head coach. Once free agency kicked off last month, Peters began flipping the roster. One of those moves was trading Howell to Seattle in a pick swap. With a new quarterback coming in via the 2024 NFL draft, the Commanders gave Howell a fresh start, opting to sign veteran Marcus Mariota to pair with a rookie.

Washington began its offseason program this week, and players are excited about the new regime. McLaurin is among those excited but discussed his former quarterback. The star wideout still believes Howell has a bright future ahead of him.

“It’s always tough seeing someone you build a really good relationship with move on in their career,” McLaurin said. “Especially your quarterback, because as a receiver, you want to continue to try to build that chemistry. That was only our first year playing with one another, and I feel like him and I made some great plays, and we had some room for growth, and I think that comes with any new quarterback/receiver relationship.”

As for Howell’s future, McLaurin sees a good opportunity for him in Seattle.

“To see him go in a situation to have a chance to compete and play under a really good quarterback in Geno (Smith). I think he’ll really like throwing to receivers like (Tyler) Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and DK (Metcalf). So I think he’s going to a situation where he’ll have a chance to continue to show that he can play quarterback at a high level in this league, which I still truly believe.”

McLaurin not only believes in Howell as a player, but has a tremendous amount of respect for him after a difficult season in which Howell was essentially thrown to the wolves at times.

“I’ll always have a lot of respect for Sam, how he handled things good and bad last year,” McLaurin said. “I think he took a really big step in his career to continue to prove that he can play at a high level.”

You can watch McLaurin’s entire media session below, where he talks Dan Quinn, Curtis Samuel and his feelings about the new regime.

Commanders’ Sam Cosmi happy to be a dad and for changes in Ashburn

Sam Cosmi is enjoying all of the changes in Washington, optimistic for the future.

“The overall dynamic of the environment and the vibe is very positive, very uplifting and it feels great.”

That was how right guard Sam Cosmi began to speak of the differences he is already noticing with the new administration and coaching staff. Cosmi spoke with the media as the Commanders have begun their offseason program under Dan Quinn and the new coaching staff.

Cosmi illustrated this by revealing that already the team is integrating offensive and defensive players together more often rather than the previous procedures in Ashburn.

When reminded that at the end of the season, Cosmi had voiced displeasure in Eric Bieniemy’s desire to pass the ball so much of the time, Cosmi replied, “This is a pass-heavy league, which is a what it is type of thing. But I do like to run the ball. I do like to bring the attack on the defense. We’re definitely emphasizing that more (it sounds like), so I am excited about that.”

When asked regarding the Commanders using their No.2 overall pick on a quarterback, Cosmi replied, “We as a line definitely have to help him. It’s a learning process for sure, so we need to be taking things off of his plate. It’s (going to be) a whole new thing for him. So as much as we can help him and not only protect him but also mentally, that is going to be part of our job this year for sure.”

It’s not often you hear a player volunteer they need to help the quarterback mentally. Was Sam Cosmi, in that comment, volunteering that the Commanders didn’t help Sam Howell mentally in 2023?

Was he saying all the extra passing for an inexperienced quarterback was not good for Howell mentally? Certainly, Howell’s play suffered as the season continued through November and December.

Most importantly Cosmi spoke of he and his wife recently becoming parents with the birth of their baby daughter. “Dad life is one of the best things in the world. I always come home with a smile just to see my little baby girl.”

Cosmi also expressed that being a father has given him an additional perspective on what it means to work his job. “You have that little one to take care of when you go home. Having that addition and building my family makes going to work even more special because you have another thing to work for. I’ve enjoyed every second of it, truly.”

Sam Howell vows to play ‘smarter football’ if he gets another chance

Here’s what he said about what he needs to improve on last week on ESPN radio Seattle:

The Seahawks got a talented young quarterback in Sam Howell, who has plus arm power and guts to go for it at any given moment. Howell shares those traits with the player he will be replacing on Seattle’s roster, taking over for Drew Lock as Geno Smith’s primary backup.

General manager John Schneider says he loves the way that Howell plays. However, there are also some flaws in his game. Like many big-armed young QBs Howell has had issues with ball security. Last season he threw 21 interceptions to go with his 21 touchdowns. He also took far too many sacks, leading the league with 65 in 2023.

If Howell gets another chance to start, he says that he’s going to play smarter. Here’s what he said about what he needs to improve on last week on ESPN radio Seattle:

“The interceptions, I’ve just got to do a better job… There were some times where we were down in some games and I was just trying to be a little aggressive and at times maybe just tried to do a little too much, trying to give us a chance. But I’ve got to be smarter, got to play smarter football, got to play winning football. And at times I was doing it, so just doing it at a more consistent rate. And I feel confident about my ability to do that. It’s just a matter of if I get an opportunity, I’ve got to go out there and show it.”

Another quarterback who had issues with trying to do too much early in his career is Geno Smith, who proved that with patience teams can develop late-blooming stars who might have been written off thanks to those problems early in their careers.

The best comp for Howell is Baker Mayfield. Ever erratic, his career has been up and down since going No. 1 overall but the Buccaneers got the best version of him last year. If the Seahawks think they can engineer a similar growth in Howell it might be worth seeing what he can do.

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