The Washington Commanders were on the practice field on Wednesday for their second OTA practice of the week. Head coach Ron Rivera met with the media, and instead of discussing who was not present at OTAs, Rivera talked extensively about young quarterback Sam Howell.
One early takeaway from OTAs is Howell’s work as the first-team quarterback. While he’s been far from perfect, Howell has looked comfortable, which is impressive considering he’s learning a new system with Eric Bieniemy, and he’s only started one NFL game.
Thus far, Rivera has been impressed with Howell’s progress, and the team is doing everything to help the second-year passer. Rivera said Washington is having Howell wear a microphone during practice so the team can listen to how he handles the huddle and line of scrimmage.
“One of the things that we’re doing, it’s something we had done way back when I was in Chicago, but we mic Sam up, so we can listen to him,” Rivera said. “The way he’s handling the huddle calls, how he’s handling things at the line of scrimmage, it’s given us a lot of insight into that. We’re gonna do with all our quarterbacks, but we started with Sam last week. It’s real interesting to watch the way you can see him stepping into the huddle.”
LIVE: HC Ron Rivera speaks with the media ahead of OTAs https://t.co/NGqRA6PGlu
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) May 31, 2023
Rivera also mic’d up his quarterbacks in Carolina, but this is a first for Washington.
How is Howell adjusting to wearing a mic?
“It’s been fun,” he answered. “I’m mic’d up when I’m saying the play calls and at the line of scrimmage. So it’s been fun. It’s a good opportunity for me to learn and hear what I sound like because it’s something I’ve really never heard before.”
While this isn’t a new concept, it’s a smart move for Washington. So much of what happens for a quarterback happens before the snap. The Commanders are right in preparing Howell for every situation. While the other quarterbacks will also wear a mic, Washington has gone all-in on Howell, and this is another step in his development.
