The Washington Commanders saw enough of quarterback Sam Howell from his Week 18 performance in a win over the Dallas Cowboys last season to know they wanted to give him every chance to start in 2023.
While those outside of Washington are hesitant to believe Howell can rise above his fifth-round draft status, Commanders’ fans, players and coaches are all aboard the Howell train.
In last week’s preseason opener, the Washington offense struggled on the first two drives before Howell made some impressive plays in leading the Commanders to an 80-yard touchdown drive before departing for the night.
This week, Howell and the Commanders made the trip north for two joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens. On the first day of those practices, Howell impressed, keeping Baltimore defenders off-balanced with a quick and decisive passing game.
On Wednesday, Howell showed something new. As he was flushed out of the pocket, Howell rolled to his left, looked across his body and sidearmed an accurate pass to wide receiver Dyami Brown for a big gain across the middle.
.@Sam7Howell sidearm 🫢@ANG_Recruiting #HTTC pic.twitter.com/LngtkWax1m
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) August 16, 2023
Dare we say, Mahomes-like?
Relax, no one is comparing Howell to Mahomes, but he has watched enough Kansas City film over the past six months to pick up a trick or two from the NFL’s best quarterback.