Early this offseason, the Washington Commanders made it clear that they were all-in on rising second-year quarterback Sam Howell. Washington signed Jacoby Brissett in free agency to compete with Howell, but every indication was that Howell would need to lose the job.
The Commanders have been criticized for going with Howell. After all, Howell was a fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Therefore, he can’t be a good NFL starting quarterback, right? That’s foolish and, quite frankly, a lazy take.
Howell was impressive in his lone NFL start in Week 18, displaying his arm talent and athleticism in a win over the Dallas Cowboys. Sure, the game was meaningless, but it wasn’t like Howell had the Philadelphia Eagles offensive line blocking for him in that game. Washington’s offensive line was a mess in 2022, something Howell probably is accustomed to after playing at North Carolina in 2021.
If Howell fails in the NFL, it won’t be because of where he was drafted.
We aren’t the only ones who believe Howell can play. Jarrett Bailey of Touchdown Wire recently named his 2023 NFL All-Breakout Team, and Howell was his breakout QB.
I’m not just all aboard the Sam Howell hype train, I’ve become the conductor. Everyone wrote off Howell after he had a final college season that failed to reach monumental expectations. What people fail to acknowledge is that nearly all of Howell’s weapons had left for the NFL, and he had a very poor offensive line in front of him. No, he didn’t throw for a million touchdowns and set the college football landscape on fire, but he still had a respectable season on a bad team, totaling 35 touchdowns, 11 of which were on the ground.
He has a huge arm, he can run with the ball much better than anyone ever talks about, and he has the likes of Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson to throw to, as well as a defense that was very quietly top 10 in DVOA. By the end of 2023, everyone will be asking how every other team let Sam Howell fall to the fifth round, and the Washington Commanders will be contending for a playoff spot.
It’s what we’ve been saying all along. While fans should be cautious about getting too excited about Howell, he shouldn’t be written off, either.
One concern, as mentioned above, remains the offensive line. It should be better than last year’s version, but that’s not necessarily a high bar.
