Tag: Sam Howell

Sam Howell takes responsibility for his 2023 season with the Commanders

Sam Howell doesn’t throw anyone under the bus, takes accountability for his 2023 play with the Commanders.

One year ago, Sam Howell was taking first-team snaps during Offseason Training Activities (OTAs) for the Washington Commanders. Then-head coach Ron Rivera told anyone who would listen that Howell would be a star, and when the Commanders won a Super Bowl—whether he was there or not—they could send him his Super Bowl ring.

During the first half of last season, Howell was sometimes phenomenal, and Rivera looked like he may be right. However, the Commanders completely fell apart during the second half of the season, losing their final eight games. Howell struggled with sacks and turnovers at different times last season.

While Howell undoubtedly played a significant role in his struggles, he had no help from the coaching staff. Personnel-wise, Rivera ignored the offensive line for four years. And offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, forever auditioning for a head coaching job, ran an offense that led the NFL in pass attempts—and last in rush attempts.

Everything and everyone was out of sync last season with a lame-duck coaching staff.

That all changed in January when owner Josh Harris fired Rivera. Harris hired general manager Adam Peters and followed that by hiring Dan Quinn as head coach.

With a new regime and the No. 2 overall pick, Howell knew his days in Washington could be over. In March, the Commanders traded Howell to the Seahawks for multiple draft picks.

In Seattle, Howell would be Geno Smith’s backup, but GM John Schneider made it clear how much he wanted Howell.

We hadn’t heard publicly from Howell since the trade until he spoke with the Seattle media after an OTA practice last week. He discussed last season with Washington.

“I think I can play some smarter ball,” Howell said, per Gregg Bell of The News Tribune. “At times, when we were down big in games, I was a little too aggressive. I was just trying to make something happen to get us back in the game. That’s why, you know…the turnovers were just way too high for what I wanted, what the team needed. That’s definitely something I can take from last year.”

As for the Seahawks, new head coach Mike Macdonald is thrilled to have Howell.

“We are excited about Sam,” Macdonald said.

Howell has a chance to be a successful starting quarterback in the NFL. Washington did him no favors in 2023. Meanwhile, the Commanders are also excited about their future with Jayden Daniels.

As far as Howell’s comments, he could’ve done what so many others have and blamed others. He took the high road. That’s Sam Howell.

Sam Howell says Seattle was one of his preferred destinations

Sam Howell says Seattle was one of his preferred destinations

The Seattle Seahawks opted to not select a quarterback in the 2024 NFL draft. Either they were not in love with any of the prospects, felt they could not move up enough to grab one they did, or perhaps a combination of the both. Regardless, the point is moot now. Which is why they went the path of trading for quarterback Sam Howell.

Howell, who had an up and down run with the Washington Commanders, showed plenty of flashes of potential. For the Seahawks, it was clearly enough to realize they wanted to take a chance on the third-year pro.

As it turns out, Howell was interested in the Seahawks as well! He recently spoke to the media and explained how Seattle was a destination he would like to go to should a trade happen.

I know we at The Seahawks Wire are obviously a tad biased towards, well, the Seahawks, but why wouldn’t a quarterback want to come here? There aren’t many teams in the NFL that boast the offensive weaponry at the disposal. DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Kenneth Walker, Zach Charbonnet, and Noah Fant are all tantilizing targets.

Additionally, the Seahawks and Commanders are at nearly perfect polar opposite ends of the “functiona” spectrum when it comes to managing an organization. Seattle has been one of the most stable and successful franchises ever since the late Paul Allen purchased the team in 1997. Paul’s sister Jody has certainly kept the flame of stability alive, which is a credit to her, general manager John Schneider, and the recently departed Pete Carroll.

The Commanders, on the other hand, were practically run into the ground by the disastrous Dan Snyder. To his credit, Howell has been nothing but diplomatic when discussing his time in DC. But it could not have been easy, even if he only had one year dealing with Snyder’s shenanigans.

Now, he is in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, ready to begin anew with the Seattle Seahawks.

More Seahawks Wire stories

Seahawks projections for 8 key offensive players in 2024

ESPN ranks all 32 teams’ safety units after the 2024 NFL draft

ESPN ranks all 32 teams’ corner units after the 2024 NFl draft

Sam Howell on Ryan Grubb’s ‘quarterback friendly’ offense

Sam Howell on Ryan Grubb’s ‘quarterback friendly’ offense

Perhaps the most intriging coaching hire the Seattle Seahawks have made, aside from head coach Mike Macdonald of course, is offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. After a few years of the explosive, yet wildly inconsistent offense led by Shane Waldron, the 12th Man is excited to see what Grubb can do at the professional level.

For two years, the Seattle faithful have gotten to know Grubb since he was the offensive coordinator for the Washington Huskies. Under Grubb, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was argubaly the best in the nation, as the Huskies offense ripped apart almost every defense they faced en route to the National Championship last season.

Starting quarterback Geno Smith has already praised Grubb’s offense, and he isn’t alone. Recently acquired quarterback Sam Howell also took to the media to discuss what has impressed him about his new system.

Speaking of intriguing, Sam Howell certainly qualifies with such a description. Instead of drafting a quarterback, the Seahawks opted to trade for Howell from the Washington Commanders. Howell had 21 touchdowns against 21 interceptions last year, but certainly showed plenty of flash on an abysmal Commanders team.

There are those who believe Howell has plenty of untapped potential. Only time will tell if he will get to live up to said potential under Ryan Grubb.

More Seahawks Wire stories

Ranking all 32 teams by % chance of making the playoffs

Seahawks projections for 8 key offensive players in 2024

Seahawks projections for 12 key defensive players in 2024

Mike Macdonald: Geno Smith is ‘answering the call’ for Seahawks

Mike Macdonald: Geno Smith is ‘answering the call’ for Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks have been rolling with Geno Smith as their starting quarterback for the last two years, and it looks like it will go on to a third. Despite trading for former Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell, the Seahawks were quick to name Smith the starter.

So far in the early days of the summer, Smith seems to be proving to his team they made the right decision. Head coach Mike Macdonald recently spoke with the media, and had nothing but positives to say about his quarterback.

With a new regime in place and a first time head coach, developing a relationship is going to be critical for both men. There’s no doubt Smith was close with Pete Carroll, who routinely was in his corner as one of his biggest advocates. So far, it seems he is in a good place with Macdonald. Ultimately, both will need each other if they want to see the Seahawks find success in 2024.

We are still far too early in this part of the season to determine how things will play out. But for now, the 2022 Comeback Player of the Year and two-time Pro Bowler is making a good impression on his new coaching staff.

More Seahawks Wire stories

Ranking all 32 NFL teams by average Relative Athletic Score

7 takeaways from Seattle’s open OTAs practice on Wednesday

4 key Seahawks players who need to elevate their game in 2024

Ranking the top 30 iDL in the league after the 2024 NFL draft

Watch: Seahawks QBs Sam Howell and Geno Smith throwing at OTAs

Here are all the clips we could find of Seattle’s two quarterbacks throwing the rock around at practice.

The Seattle Seahawks held their first OTAs practice of the year that was open to the media on Wednesday. We learned a lot about how new head coach Mike Macdonald runs things and where this team stands as the first major phase of the offseason gets going.

One of the more interesting things we learned is that quarterbacks won’t be wearing red jerseys in Macdonald’s practices the way they did under Pete Carroll. Starter Geno Smith and backup Sam Howell were spotted wearing throwback blue jerseys, while the rest of the offense wore the navy blue tops. Here are all the clips we could find of Seattle’s two quarterbacks throwing the rock around at practice.

Geno Smith, Sam Howell throwing up the seams

Smith and Howell throwing hook and stick routes

Howell airs one out for Jaxon Smith-Njigba

We also heard from Macdonald after practice. Here’s what he had to say about his quarterbacks.

Mike Macdonald comments on QBs

More Seahawks Wire stories

Ranking the top 30 iDL in the league after the 2024 NFL draft

7 takeaways from Seattle’s first open OTAs practice on Wednesday

4 key Seahawks players who need to elevate their game in 2024

Ranking all 17 Seahawks games in 2024 from easiest to hardest

Geno Smith, Sam Howell, Byron Murphy practice at Seahawks OTAs

Here’s a look at a few videos they shared.

The Seahawks and 20 other teams around the NFL began their OTAs (offseason team activities) yesterday. While Monday’s practice was not open to the media (tomorrow’s will be) the team was kind enough to share a few clips on their official Twitter account from practice.

Here’s a look at a few videos they shared.

Geno Smith and Sam Howell throwing

Geno Smith to DK Metcalf

Byron Murphy II vs. blocking sled

More Seahawks Wire stories

4 key Seahawks players who need to elevate their game in 2024

Ranking all 17 games on 2024 schedule from easiest to hardest

Ranking all 32 NFL teams by ESPN’s projected 2024 win totals

Seahawks all-time record vs. every team on their 2024 schedule

Commanders release quarterback Jake Fromm

The Commanders released QB Jake Fromm.

The Washington Commanders released quarterback Jake Fromm on Tuesday ahead of the team’s first OTAs.

Fromm initially signed with Washington’s practice squad on Oct. 18, 2022. He remained on the practice squad for the remainder of that season and, in January, signed a reserve/future contract.

Fromm acted as Washington’s third quarterback throughout last offseason and in training camp. Fromm had some impressive moments in preseason but was released as the Commanders chose to keep two quarterbacks. Washington quickly re-signed Fromm to the practice squad.

Fromm’s release wasn’t a surprise, given all of the Commanders’ changes. Washington has a new general manager (Adam Peters), head coach (Dan Quinn) and offensive coordinator (Kliff Kingsbury). Additionally, Sam Howell was traded and Jacoby Brissett departed via free agency, meaning the new regime was changing the entire quarterback room.

The Commanders signed veteran Marcus Mariota in March, followed by another veteran, Jeff Driskel. Washington’s big move was selecting former LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels at No. 2 overall. After the draft, the Commanders added former Wake Forest and Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman as a priority free agent.

Fromm entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick of the Buffalo Bills in the 2020 NFL draft. He was released during final cuts in 2021 and re-signed to Buffalo’s practice squad. The New York Giants signed Fromm off Buffalo’s practice squad, but he was later signed to the active roster and started two games.

The numbers prove Dan Quinn will make Commanders defense better

The numbers prove Dan Quinn will make Washington’s defense better.

The Washington Commanders have nowhere to go but up. Washington finished 4-13 last season and made sweeping changes this offseason, beginning with new general manager Adam Peters.

Peters’ first mission was to find a head coach. Peters and owner Josh Harris chose Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. Next, the Commanders used free agency to flip the roster, signing over 20 outside free agents, followed by nine selections in the 2024 NFL draft and 11 undrafted free agents.

Washington struggled on offense last season under former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Quarterback Sam Howell’s once-promising season went south in the second half of the season. But Washington’s most significant problem was the NFL’s worst defense.

The Commanders were terrible against the run and the pass last season and couldn’t force turnovers or get to the quarterback. The previous defensive staff looked over their heads. Remember, Washington’s defense was supposed to be one of the NFL’s best heading into last season.

Not only was the entire defensive unit dreadful, but individual players took steps back. Pro Bowl defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne didn’t have their best seasons. Cornerback Benjamin St-Juste regressed after showing promise in his second season. Rookie Emmanuel Forbes didn’t look like he belonged in the NFL.

Coaching matters.

In Quinn, Washington hired a coach who will instantly make the defense better.

The Cowboys struggled on defense before Quinn took over in 2021. In three seasons in Dallas, Quinn’s defense was ranked in the top five of FTN’s total defensive DVOA each year.

Check out the following tweet from Warren Sharp, where he compares the Dallas defense under Dan Quinn to Washington’s defense in the same time period.

Under new general manager Adam Peters, the Commanders added multiple defenders this offseason, including dramatically upgrading the linebacker corps with the additions of Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu.

Quinn’s defense focuses heavily on sacks and takeaways — areas where the Commanders have struggled. If he doesn’t have a dominant pass rusher, Quinn will find ways to create pressure, such as using Luvu or Jamin Davis more in pass-rushing situations.

Joe Whitt Jr. is Washington’s defensive coordinator. In recent years, Whitt has done wonders with several of Dallas’ young defensive backs. The Commanders hope he can work some of the same magic with Forbes, St-Juste, and others.

Regardless, Washington will be much better defensively in 2024.

Where does Commanders’ Jayden Daniels rank among his QB peers?

An interesting look at some post-draft QB rankings.

Now that we have a good idea of who the starting quarterback will be for most NFL teams in 2024, it’s time for some rankings.

Jarrett Bailey of Touchdown Wire recently ranked the top 36 quarterbacks in the NFL ahead of the 2024 season. Fans of the Washington Commanders will not be too pleased with where Bailey ranked rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Bailey ranked Daniels 34th out of the 36 quarterbacks he ranked. Being a rookie, even a highly-rated one, that’s understandable. The no. 1 overall pick, Caleb Williams, was ranked No. 20.

So, was Daniels ranked second of the rookie quarterbacks? No. Drake Maye (Patriots) is No. 25, and J.J. McCarthy (No. 30), both of whom some believe will sit for at least some of the 2024 season, were ranked ahead of Daniels.

Here’s Bailey’s harsh assessment of Daniels:

I’m very skeptical about the Steve-O style of play that Daniels embodies. Washington has seen that movie before- it’s called “Robert Griffin III.” Plus, Daniels isn’t nearly as talented coming out as RG3 was. Hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.

There is a lot to take away here. Steve-O style of play? Has he watched Daniels in the pocket? He calls Robert Griffin III more talented coming out of college. Griffin’s speed and arm strength were elite coming out of college, but he could not operate from the pocket, which proved to be his undoing.

Also ranked ahead of Daniels were Sam Howell, Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew, Bryce Young, Justin Fields, Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco and Will Levis.

We shall see.

Former NFL executive says he’d rather have Sam Howell than Jayden Daniels?

Lombardi’s track record isn’t very good.

Former NFL executive Mike Lombardi is never one to shy away from saying something controversial. More often than not, Lombardi’s outspoken criticisms don’t age well.

These days, Lombardi co-hosts a podcast covering the NFL and pops up on the radio from time to time. On Monday, he was a guest of the “Sports Junkies” on 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C.

No surprise, Lombardi was outspoken.

“I said this to three or four head coaches in the league this offseason: I would rather have had Sam Howell than a lot of these quarterbacks that are drafted in the first round,” he said via Lou DiPietro of Audacy.

“Other than Caleb Williams, I probably would rather have Sam Howell than any of them. What do you think Jayden Daniels would have done in that offense last year? He would have never made it through Week 3! (Howell) is tougher than nails. He got the crap beat out of him, and they gave him no help at all. Riverboat Ron was standing over there watching Bieniemy call passes and he was too scared to tell him to not do it. He was completely intimidated by him. He didn’t want to rattle the cages, or do anything politically that could upset things. The players were upset with Ron for not saying something!”

A lot of what Lombardi said here is on the money. Howell is tough, Bieniemy was bad as Washington’s OC and Rivera stood there with his arms crossed for much of the season. However, to say he’d rather have Howell than Daniels is probably a stretch. This is how you pose this question: If all 32 NFL teams had a quarterback need and held the No. 2 overall pick, would they choose Daniels or stick with Howell?

It’s fair to say that most would go with Daniels.

Back to Howell. He can play. We’ve gone on record multiple times stating that he is a starting quarterback in the NFL. He was put in a horrible position last season, and despite lots of promise in the first half, he predictably crashed in the second half. He had no help from the coaching staff.

Washington general manager Adam Peters had the chance to stick with Howell, trade down for a haul of picks and build around him. He chose Daniels. That’s not a knock on Howell, but likely how almost all other NFL decisionmakers would have proceeded, too.