When a young quarterback is compared to Russell Wilson in 2023, all anyone can remember is Wilson’s terrible debut season with the Denver Broncos in 2022.
After 10 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, the 2012 third-round pick was traded to Denver for a bounty of players and picks. Wilson signed a massive new contract and proceeded to have, by far, the worst season of his NFL career.
How Wilson rebounds in 2023 is anyone’s guess. But no one can discount how excellent he was for the previous decade, where he was consistently among the NFL’s top 6-8 quarterbacks.
In discussing Washington Commanders second-year quarterback Sam Howell, ESPN analyst Mina Kimes brought up Wilson’s name concerning Howell’s game.
“He can run,” Kimes said. “He averaged over eight yards per carry that last year at UNC. Broke a ton of tackles, build-wise almost reminds me of like a young Russell Wilson. So I would not be surprised if the designed QB run is also a big part of the offense, coupled with the RPO.”
Talked a bit about the qualities Sam Howell flashed in his one start last year, and how he might be utilized in the Commanders offense on NFL Live pic.twitter.com/TCvfz3yYGd
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) July 14, 2023
Kimes just didn’t compliment Howell’s running ability. She was also impressed with the small sample size of his performance against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18.
“Starting with the fact he has an extremely strong arm, he can hit all throws outside the numbers,” she said. “I suspect the Commanders, with their emphasis on the run, will face a lot of single high coverage, so there will be a lot of one-on-one opportunities for Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson downfield. And he can hit those throws.”
She wasn’t done praising Howell.
“Another thing, he has a quick release,” Kimes said. “RPOs were a huge part of the UNC offense. They’re also a huge part of the Chiefs offense. You’ve got offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy coming to Washington now. So I expect that to be a big part of this Commanders offense with Howell.”
Size-wise, Wilson and Howell are similar. Howell is a little taller, but their builds are incredibly close. Wilson’s arm strength was underrated, and some do not realize how strong Howell’s arm is.
It’s not a knock on Howell that Kimes compared him to a young Wilson. The Commanders will have hit the jackpot if that is the case.
