Sam Howell wanted no part of being featured in 鈥淨uarterback,鈥� the that profiled Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota.
He didn’t need the distraction clouding his focus.
Plus, the spotlight is already shining plenty bright on Howell as he tries to become the Washington Commanders starting quarterback.
Howell is getting that chance in training camp to show and he deserves to be the guy for a franchise that has had 12 different quarterbacks throw a pass since 2018.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great opportunity for me with the position I鈥檓 in to really compete here and be the starter,鈥� Howell said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great opportunity for me to go out there and just show what I can do.鈥�
out of North Carolina, Howell spent most of his rookie year as the third stringer before showing glimpses of what he can do in his NFL debut in Washington’s regular-season finale, .
Even though the Commanders were out of contention then 鈥� eliminated after previous starter in a loss to Cleveland 鈥� that performance was enough to warrant going into the spring. The team as a reliable veteran backup who could provide some training camp competition.
But there’s no doubt this is Howell’s job to lose. He has so far taken all the snaps with the first team, with mixed results, as he assimilates to .
鈥淭his is all the growth and development opportunity,鈥� Rivera said Wednesday. 鈥淭his is a chance to learn the base fundamentals of our offense.鈥�
Howell has been trying to learn along the way. In his down time away from the facility, the 22-year-old has done mental walkthroughs to familiarize himself with the playbook and feels as if he has made significant progress over the past few months.
鈥淚 think at this point I have total command of the offense,鈥� Howell said. 鈥淚 studied a lot this summer and (have been) trying to get really comfortable with the system.”
acknowledged Howell has a lot on his plate to get up to speed with Bieniemy’s offense after just one game of professional experience. That one game did reveal a positive trait: Howell’s ability to shake off throwing an interception, which has continued in camp.
鈥淗e still wasn鈥檛 afraid to push the ball down the field, and I think with this being a passing league you still got to stay aggressive,鈥� McLaurin said. 鈥淵ou really don鈥檛 even see him get flustered even when he鈥檚 had a few, maybe, rough patches during practice. He doesn鈥檛 hang his head. He鈥檚 not yelling, cussing 鈥� things like that. He鈥檚 pretty even keel, which is really unique for a young guy like that.鈥�
That has come with experience. Howell went into his final college season as a projected top-10 pick before concerns about his size and mechanics hurt his stock. The Commanders were all too happy to take him with the 144th pick last year as a developmental prospect.
Now he’s based on his experience, while Rivera wants to move past where Howell was drafted and evaluate based on what happens on the field.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all about what the player does,” Rivera said. 鈥滱nd the proof will be in the pudding.鈥�
Barring injury or a complete preseason meltdown, it’s a smart bet that Howell will be under center for the season opener Sept. 10 against Arizona 鈥� Washington’s seventh different Week 1 QB in as many years. With that in mind, and fully knowing Brissett could step in at any time, Howell is balancing humility and confidence while trying to win the No. 1 job.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a blessing for me (have) this opportunity, and it鈥檚 definitely not something that I take for granted,” Howell said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of work left to be done. I鈥檓 not complacent at all. I know still everything is ahead of me, and I still got to go out there and earn it and prove it each and every day.鈥�
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