How the Commanders should address the QB situation

We’re going to talk about the Washington Commanders quarterback outlook for 2023, but we’re going to do it with the understanding that we are now in the middle of January and things will change – a lot – before any final decisions are made. Players will rise and fall, become available and be pulled from the market. The Commanders will hire a new offensive coordinator which could impact their decisions.  So this is a snapshot of where we stand today. Now that that’s established, let’s begin…

It’s tough for a rookie quarterback to start in the NFL. It’s the most mentally challenging position in all of sports. The speed of the defense, the sheer amount of information to be processed in fractions of seconds – almost no one can do it until they have had a lot of repetitions, and most likely, made a lot of mistakes. Ideally, a rookie can sit behind a veteran for a while and smooth out the bumps in the learning curve – kind of the way Aaron Rodgers did for three full years behind Brett Favre in Green Bay.

Nowadays, rookies don’t get three years. But any time on the bench can be helpful. For instance, recently, there was a rookie who got to basically sit the entire season and absorb how the vets prepared and played. Then, in the final game of the season, with no playoff implications involved, he got a chance to start his first game. He didn’t exactly set the world on fire, but he looked pretty good. Sure, he threw an interception, but he also completed around 60% of his passes, showed good movement, and averaged a very respectable eight yards per attempt. Maybe most importantly, he led his team to victory.

Of course, by now, you’ve realized that I am talking about Patrick Mahomes.

I don’t mean to suggest that the Commanders Sam Howell is the next Patrick Mahomes. I don’t think there is a next Patrick Mahomes. But some of the similarities are indeed striking. Howell waited until the final week to get on the field his rookie season, just as Mahomes did. And he looked pretty good once he got his chance. In fact, you could argue that Howell looked better.

Howell played against a defense that was headed to the playoffs, but was still playing its starters because it wanted to win. Mahomes was playing against a pretty bad Denver team back in 2017.  Howell threw a TD. Mahomes did not. Howell ran for a TD. Mahomes did not. Howell finished with a rating of 83, better than Mahomes’ 76.4.

Still, I am not saying that Sam Howell, a 5th round draft pick, is on the same trajectory as Mahomes, who went number 10 in the 1st round. What I am saying is this…

Based on what we saw from Sam Howell in that one game at the end of the year, the Commanders should absolutely, positively go into the 2023 season with Howell penciled in as their starter. Maybe you don’t use permanent marker, but a good solid No 2 pencil in a bold stroke.

I’ve been hearing lots of conversation about who the Commanders should pursue at QB. Draft targets, free agents, trade options. None of the players – at least none of the realistic ones – should be slotted ahead of Howell.

Let’s take them one at a time, shall we?