Commanders set on Sam Howell as 2023 starter?
The Washington Commanders are entering the Sam Howell era.
Howell auditioned for the starting job at QB in Week 18 and the organization wants an extended look next season.
Per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the Commanders are telling prospective offensive coordinators the team is going forward with the plan of starting Howell in 2023. The team announced on it fired former offensive coordinator Scott Turner.
In the regular season finale against the Cowboys, Howell was 11-of-19 for 169 yards, a touchdown and an interception in a 26-6 win.
One of his highlights came on this beautiful deep pass to star wide receiver, Terry McLaurin.
Per NFL Next Gen Stats (NGS), the pass had a completion probably of 20.2 percent and an air distance of 60 yards. That stat measures how far a pass travels from the QB to a wide receiver. According to NGS, that pass was the longest completion via air distance by a Commanders QB since 2016.
Howell was drafted in the fifth round (144th overall) out of North Carolina. He was a three-year starter with the Tar Heels from 2019-2021. He completed 63.8 percent of his pass attempts and averaged 3,427.7 yards and 30.7 touchdowns a season during his career.
As a junior, he had 183 carries for 828 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.
Washington (8-8-1) missed the playoffs by a half-game. Carson Wentz proved he wasn't the long-term solution with an underwhelming 2022. He went 2-5 in seven starts and was 172-of-276 (62.3 percent) for 1,755 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Howell gets the next chance to lead a Washington franchise seeking its first playoff win in nearly two decades. The team last won a playoff game in the wild-card round 17-10 against Tampa Bay on Jan. 7, 2006. Washington won that game despite QB Mark Brunell going 7-of-15 for 41 yards and an interception.
The Commanders are headed toward a diverging path. Next season will determine whether they have the pieces in place for a sustained run as playoff contenders or if it's time for another rebuild.
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