3 growing Commanders concerns heading into the 2023 NFL Draft

Are Commanders betting on the right QBs?

After making the call not to seriously consider a bold move for quarterback Lamar Jackson, it appears Ron Rivera might be betting his long-term future with the Washington Commanders on Jacoby Brissett and Sam Howell. The duo is set to battle it out throughout the upcoming preparation period for the No. 1 job, which is one of the more fascinating elements to keep an eye on when camp begins.

Howell could be the frontrunner given his age and scope for further improvement. However, the presence of Eric Bieniemy played a factor in Brissett coming into the fold, who performed well for the Cleveland Browns last season and fancies his chances of winning the job.

Rivera stated this is legitimately an open competition. And there will be no favoritism whatsoever as the Commanders head into a 2023 season that could be potentially franchise-altering one way or another.

"“I think it’s open right now, I really do. All I said was that Sam was going to get the first crack. I didn’t say that Sam was the guy. He’s going to have to come in and earn it. I’m going to play that guy that we believe at the end of the day gives us the best chance at winning football games.”"

In an ideal world, Howell will seize the moment and give Washington a cheap contract to build around for the next two years. But if it all goes wrong, Rivera could pay with his job considering how suspect his career evaluation of quarterbacks has been more often than not.