It’s been a roller-coaster of a season for Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell. There were plenty of highs for the second-year quarterback, but in recent weeks, the highs have been few and far between.
In last week’s 28-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Howell was benched midway through the fourth quarter and replaced by Jacoby Brissett. Brissett promptly led the Commanders on a pair of touchdown drives.
That led to speculation that Washington could turn to Brissett for the remainder of the season.
Head coach Ron Rivera later confirmed that Howell remained Washington’s quarterback, and he just wanted to protect him. Interestingly enough, Howell was barely hit in Sunday’s loss.
Going to Brissett at this point in the season when the Commanders are eliminated from the postseason and have nothing to play for would be coaching malpractice. Of course, there has been a lot of that recently.
As for Howell, he met with the media on Wednesday and faced some difficult questions after being benched.
“I just think I made some of the easy things hard, and I think there was a lot more out there that I didn’t take advantage of,” Howell said. “But excited for this week, obviously going against a really good defense, so it’s a great opportunity for us to face another good defense and try to bounce back.”
With just three games remaining, what are Howell’s expectations?
“I want to put good ball on tape,” Howell said. “I feel like, for the most part, I’ve played some good ball this year, and I just got to do it at a more consistent rate. I want to go into these last three games and be really consistent and be really good and just be efficient and give my team a chance to win. I just want to be playing my best football for these last three games.”
He’s right. Howell has played some good ball this year. Unfortunately for him, it just hasn’t been lately. The team, mostly the coaching staff, hasn’t done him any favors either.
Too often, each game is a referendum on whether Howell can be the starting quarterback or not. Sometimes, it’s important to remember, regardless of draft position, that he’s still in his first season as an NFL starting quarterback.
That doesn’t mean Howell will be a successful long-term starting quarterback, and it doesn’t mean he should be written off, either.
There will be a new regime. And that new regime will not be counting on Howell in 2024. There will be competition, perhaps coming from the 2024 NFL draft, and Howell’s best course of action is finishing strong in 2023. From this moment forward, that’s the only thing he can control.
It will not be easy as he faces the Jets, 49ers and Cowboys.
