UNC Football: Commanders sticking with Sam Howell

Former UNC Football quarterback Sam Howell was reassured of his position with the Washington Commanders this week for the upcoming season.

Lamar Jackson is surrounding many discussions amongst NFL franchises regarding the quarterback position and his free agency. However, several members of the Washington Commanders’ front office and coaching staff mentioned at the annual league meetings that they are committed to Sam Howell as their starter for the 2023 season.

Ron Rivera was quoted stating the following:

"The main reason we’re going with Sam is we think Sam’s going to be a good football player. We really do. If the guy had come out (in 2021), he’d have been a first- or second-round pick. We were fortunate. He fell to the fifth round because people didn’t think it was a strong class. Remember, he was the frontrunner for the Heisman that year, coming out of a season where he lost three offensive linemen to the draft, a tight end to the draft, a wide receiver, Dyami (Brown), to the draft, and two running backs. That’s seven primary players off of an offense that was very dynamic and explosive. Go back and research that and see those things, and you’ll see what we’ve seen. I really do believe that."

Commanders’ GM Marty Mayhew also said that Howell is ready to compete with Jacoby Brissett for the starting job:

"“Yeah, just his demeanor and confidence. It reminded me a little bit of Taylor [Heinicke] from the standpoint of his ability to go out and perform his very best. And then chips fall wherever chips fall. He wasn’t necessarily viewing himself as a backup or as a starter. He ready to come and compete.”"

It’s obvious the Commanders believe in Howell’s ability to be able to compete for their QB position, especially if they are willing to not even look at a high-profile QB such as Jackson.

Howell received the opportunity to start in the Commanders’ final game of the 2022 season against the Dallas Cowboys when it was official that Washington had been eliminated from the postseason. Howell was 11-19 passing for 169 yards and a touchdown in his NFL debut. He used his legs and had 5 rushing attempts for 35 yards and a touchdown.

While the off-season expectation is that Howell and Brissett will compete for the starting job for next season, it would be a surprise if Howell isn’t the starter come week one.

Howell was a playmaker at Carolina during his time and led UNC football to a New Years Six bowl game during his sophomore season for the first time since 2001. While his junior season didn’t play out anyone really hoped with the preseason expectations, Howell is still one of if not the best, quarterbacks to ever come thru Chapel Hill.

Follow us @KeepingItHeel on Twitter and like our fan page on Facebook for continued coverage of UNC football news, updates, and recruiting.