The Washington Commanders don’t exactly have a stable situation at quarterback and will be an interesting team to monitor heading into the offseason.
The Commanders rolled with Sam Howell under center for most of 2023, but the second-year signal-caller struggled mightily during the second half of the season and was benched in favor of Jacoby Brissett (although an injury to Brissett quickly pressed Howell back into starting duty).
Washington went 4-13 and owns the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft this spring, so the Commanders could very well just draft a quarterback and start over.
That seems to be what Nick Shook of NFL.com thinks the franchise will do.
“Ron Rivera tied himself to Sam Howell in 2023, and for a stretch, he looked somewhat like a fortune teller,” wrote Shook. “But honestly, as soon as the franchise’s ownership changed hands, a shift felt inevitable, save for an unlikely run of on-field success. That didn’t happen, and Rivera lost his job. The transition could also spell doom for Howell, who struggled with turnovers down the stretch and all but wiped out the goodwill he’d built with some surprisingly strong early-season performances.”
Shook thinks that Washington will take University of North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye at No. 2, as USC’s Caleb Williams is expected to go first overall to the Chicago Bears.
Howell threw for 3,946 yards, 21 touchdowns and a league-worst 21 interceptions this season while completing 63.4 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 78.9.
Twelve of Howell’s interceptions came over his last seven games, where he threw at least one pick in each of those contests.
The 23-year-old, who, like Maye, played his collegiate football at the University of North Carolina, was selected by the Commanders in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
He played in just one game during his rookie campaign, going 11-for-19 with 169 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
It has been a long while since the Washington organization has been truly comfortable at signal-caller, and it appears that its hunt for a franchise quarterback will continue into this offseason.
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