UNC Football: Sam Howell benched by Washington Commanders
The last few weeks haven't gone well for the former UNC football star, as his struggles have led to a quarterback change in Washington.
It's been a rough couple of weeks for Sam Howell and the Washington Commanders as they've lost six consecutive games and haven't been in the win column since November 5.
The former UNC football star has struggled in that stretch, as he's statiscally been one of the worst quarterbacks in all of the NFL over that span.
Sam Howell since Week 11
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 27, 2023
53.2 Pass Rating*
2 Pass TD
8 INT*
0-5 record*
*worst in NFL over that timeframe pic.twitter.com/hsiK0mhd04
Over the last two weeks, Howell has been benched in-game in favor of veteran Jacoby Brissett, who led the Commanders back from a 20-point deficit against the New York Jets this past weekend. Although the Commanders fell short in their pursuit of a comeback win, head coach Ron Rivera has elected to name Brissett the starter for this weekend's contest against the San Francisco 49ers.
The #Commanders are making a QB change with two games left. Following his impressive performance on Sunday, Jacoby Brissett will start against the #49ers, coach Ron Rivera is announcing.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 27, 2023
Sam Howell to the bench. pic.twitter.com/hZ1P8Rfwfl
Although its been a disappointing stretch for Howell, this doesn't mean that he doesn't have a future in Washington. The organization's problems run much deeper than the quarterback position, as the franchise is expected to make major changes this offseason.
Along those lines, Rivera isn't expected back, so Howell will likely be working with a new coaching regime for the 2024 season. The organization will also look to build around Howell, as ownership has stated on various occasions that they believe the former Tar Heel is still their guy.
Howell had his moments during his first season as an NFL starter, as he was statistically one the best quarterbacks in the league through the first half of the regular season. The hope is that he'll be able to rebound and improve to help this franchise take a step in the right direction moving forward.
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