The Washington Redskins/Football Team/Commanders/INSERT NAME HERE have been looking for a franchise quarterback since the halcyon days of Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins (both selected in the 2012 draft), and they may just have the solution to that long problem in second-year man Sam Howell, taken in the fifth round of the 2022 draft out of North Carolina.
Howell’s collegiate career was odd. He looked like a first-round talent in 2020, when he completed 237 of 348 passes for 3,586 yards, 30 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Then in 2021, Howell was without his top two receivers (Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome) and his top two running backs (Javonte Williams and Michael Carter), who had all left for the NFL. He still played decently, completing 217 of 347 passes for 3,056 yards, 24 touchdowns, and nine interceptions, and become more of a runner, but it seemed that the NFL had downgraded him.
Now, the NFL might regret it. This season, in his second and third NFL starts, Howell has completed 46 of 70 passes for 501 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 95.0. Howell is thriving in Eric Bieniemy’s offense, and he’s making a ton of big plays with high-level quarterback traits.
In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” Greg (of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup) and Doug (of Touchdown Wire) had a lot to say about Howell’s ability to knife through the NFL.
(Note to our viewers: I kept referring to Howell’s 2021 season when I meant his 2020 season, because I’m an idiot).
“I think there’s a lot to like about his tape,” Greg said. “He’s very tough in the pocket, he’s willing to stand and deliver in the face of pressure, he does not flinch at all. He makes throws with bodies around him and maintains his firm base. He still steps toward his target, and he’s very fundamentally driven in the way he throws the football. He’s an over-the-top thrower, which you don’t see a lot in the NFL anymore, but that’s really important for him in the same way it was important for Drew Brees. Because when you’re six feet tall, and you throw with that three-quarter delivery, which a lot of quarterbacks do, that hurts you, because you’re six feet tall.
“He’s got a good arm, and for a guy who’s only started three games, I think he sees things pretty well. I think he knows where to go with the ball, he doesn’t force the ball, and he doesn’t look hurried in the pocket. I really like what I’ve seen in these two games from Sam Howell this season.”
Perhaps Howell’s most impressive throw this season so far came with 11:53 left in the third quarter of Washington’s 35-33 win over the Denver Broncos last Sunday. Howell had a backside switch release with receiver Jahan Dotson and tight end Cole Turner, and that — plus the release route run by tight end John Bates — forced Denver’s quarters coverage to the bunch side of the field. That put Terry McLaurin one-on-one with cornerback Damarri Mathis, and when you’re one-on-one with Scary Terry with a 10-yard bump, things probably aren’t going to go well for you.
Meanwhile, Howell did a nice job of evading pressure with pocket movement to his left, and you can see him looking safeties Justin Simmons and Delarrin Turner-Yell off, and making the precise throw into converging coverage.
LOVE the design and execution on this Sam Howell 30-yard TD to Terry McLaurin. Bunch left forces the C4 passing strength that way, Howell looks the safeties off to reinforce it, and he then moves to his left to make the bang-on throw. pic.twitter.com/3GVb7ISm1C
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) September 22, 2023
The Buffalo Bills will be dealing with this offense on Sunday, and it’ll be a serious challenge for Sean McDermott’s group.
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