The Washington Commanders kick off their regular season opener against the Arizona Cardinals with a quiet belief that the question that has engulfed the franchise for nearly three decades will be answered.
Washington will be starting second-year quarterback Sam Howell with the hopes that the former North Carolina star will perform to a level that will end the saga of finding a long-term solution at the position.
Howell performed well enough in his lone start a year ago to earn the confidence of the coaching staff to not make a bold offseason move at Quarterback. Instead, Washington hired former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to bring a more innovative scheme to DC.
Bieniemy’s higher, along with that of quarterbacks coach, Tavita Pritchard should contribute to Howell’s development.
During the offseason, Commanders players, and coaches alike raved about Howell’s work ethic but more importantly, they spoke glowingly about how humble he is. Those characteristics were on display during training camp and the preseason, as Howell looked the part of a veteran and not that of a player who only has one start on his resume.
Picked in round five of the 2022 draft, Howell knows that he still has a lot to prove despite being named the starter, but loves the progress he’s making with Bieniemy.
“I think we’ve made a lot of progress. I think he’s definitely gotten more comfortable here and I think he’s gotten better just because us players have gotten better with the system. Therefore, we can expand on certain things and we now have a full understanding of what he’s talking about when he says different things, we know exactly what he’s expecting on different concepts. We’ve just been able to grow in the offense. I think at this point, everyone’s bought into what he’s teaching and everyone knows it works. We’re bought in, we’re fully bought into him. He’s done a really good job leading us so far and we’re excited to go into the season with him.”
As for Bieniemy who recently coached All-everything Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, he noted the progression of Howell leading up to the regular season opener.
“You know what I thought Sam’s progression has been right where you would like it to be. I thought he’s just stayed the course, you know, he’s learned a lot just being out there each and every day. I think watching [QB] Jacoby [Brissett] go out there and sling it around, making all the throws and just letting everything, you know, go free, that has helped him because Jacoby is an outspoken individual in that room, and he’s helped Sam tremendously. The thing I also like is that Sam, he auto-corrects and you love that about him, and he takes it personal. He takes work home and he loves to talk through all the little detailed nuances of the game. So, I think he’s right where he needs to be. He’s done a heck of a job…”
Howell’s teammates have a trust in his game as star players Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson have said their all on board with their young quarterback.
Sunday, in front of an expected sold out and boisterous crowd, Howell has a golden opportunity to start his Commanders debut as a team captain on a positive note. A strong outing against Arizona will lead credence to quieting the naysayers who wonder if he’s answered that long-asked question of who is the QB of the future.
For Howell and thenCommamsers, the future is now.