UNC Football: Sam Howell Makes NFL Debut for Commanders

UNC Football alumni Sam Howell made his NFL regular season debut for the Washington Commanders in their final game of the 2022-2023 season.

If you are a fan of UNC Football, you already know what Sam Howell can do. It should be no surprise to any of us when he threw a touchdown on his very first play for the Washington Commanders.

We also know that Sam Howell does Sam Howell things. The NFL is a whole different level but in his NFL debut, Howell showed what he is capable of. Highlight courtesy of Ethan Cadeaux on Twitter. 

Howell finished the game by going 11/19 for 169 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and a QB Rating of 83.0. The Commanders are out of playoff contention but might have seen what Howell can do if given the opportunity. They won the game against the Dallas Cowboys 26-6.

Howell finished his career at UNC with 217 completions for 3, 056 yards, 24 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. In his final season with the Tar Heels, he often had to do the majority of the work to keep the offense going. He was drafted in the 5th round by the Commanders in the NFL Draft. Howell was the 144th player taken overall.

It will be interesting to see what Washington decides to do in the offseason. We will continue to monitor and watch the developments and if Howell gets the opportunity to compete for the QB1 role. The Commanders currently have Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke ahead of Howell on the depth chart.

Wentz returned from injury last week but struggled against the Cleveland Browns. With the Commanders out of the playoffs, Head Coach Ron Rivera decided to give Howell the opportunity to finish the season.

We will update any information we get this offseason.

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