Which quarterback will Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera start in Week 18 against the Dallas Cowboys?
If the decision were up to former Washington tight end Logan Paulsen, it wouldn’t be rookie Sam Howell.
Paulsen was a guest on the “Hoffman Show” with Craig Hoffman on Team 980 and discussed why he wouldn’t start Howell.
“From what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard, Sam is not ready,” Paulsen said, per Chris Lingebach of Audacy. “And from what I’ve seen in my career, when people aren’t ready, it’s not even fun to watch them play. Like I’ve seen that happen with O-linemen, I’ve seen that happen with receivers, I’ve seen that happen on special teams — and guys just get straight dogged.”
Ok, this begs the question, how is Howell not ready? Sure, Howell is a fifth-round pick, and it’s not often that fifth-round quarterbacks are ready to play as rookies. However, Howell was a three-year starter at North Carolina, putting up record-breaking numbers. Sure, that doesn’t guarantee NFL success, but Howell was Washington’s backup for over two months when Carson Wentz went down with an injury. What if he had to play during that time?
Paulsen is an outstanding analyst, and we should trust his judgment. Paulsen did say from what he’s “seen and “heard,” Howell wasn’t ready. Is Paulsen judging this from Howell’s preseason performance? Howell showed promise in the preseason, but you can’t judge quarterbacks in the preseason. He did have plenty of mechanical issues to clean up, particularly his footwork. Has he not progressed on some of those mechanical issues in over four months?
If he hasn’t, that’s an indictment on offensive coordinator Scott Turner and quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese.
Paulsen explained further why he wouldn’t start Howell.
“And all of this stuff, this narrative, this upside, this potential, is just shattered,” Paulsen said. “Their confidence is broken. They’ve got to wait another… whatever. So if he’s not ready, and everything I’ve heard from the staff and from what I saw in preseason says he’s not ready, don’t put him in unless you feel confident he can do something.”
Interesting information from someone in the know.
Paulsen then compared Howell’s situation to Colts quarterback Sam Ehlinger’s.
“That guy, he’s been in the NFL for a year,” he said. “He was a sixth-round pick; he’s been around. He got a start, and the dude struggled mightily. So I look at that same thing with Sam [Howell].
Paulsen then referred to his analysis of the 2022 quarterback class and where Howell stood.
“He’s a fifth-round draft pick,” Paulsen said. “And look around the league, look at people who were taken ahead of him — [Desmond] Ridder, [Kenny] Pickett, Malik Willis. This was not a very strong quarterback class for a reason. Those guys were taken ahead of him. I had them all ahead of him in my quarterback evaluations this last season.”
In fairness to Howell, some rated him much higher than where he landed. Still, as Paulsen stated, the point still stands. He was a fifth-round pick.
But what about 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy? He was a seventh-round pick and doesn’t possess the physical tools of Howell, yet, he’s thriving on the NFL’s hottest team. Sure, Purdy is coached by the great Kyle Shanahan and has a loaded roster around him, but the rookie is making plays.
Couldn’t Howell make plays?
Who does Paulsen think gets the nod for Week 18?
“And so I would say that Taylor [Heinicke] probably gets the start,” Paulsen said. “That’s not to say that Sam doesn’t start. They might change their mind. They might say ‘Sam gives us the best shot to win.’ Although, I would hypothesize that that’s not the case. I would think that they would go with Heinicke.”
Again, Paulsen is a fantastic analyst, but I believe you go with Howell for Week 18. Perhaps he is absolutely horrible in practice, and no one knows outside of the coaching staff and players. But, again, if he’s that bad in practice, have the coaches not developed him?
Can Turner not call a game plan that caters to Howell’s strength, relying on the running game and feature some RPOs?
Rivera’s decision will likely be revealed early Wednesday morning.
