10 perfect scenarios for the Washington Commanders in 2023

The 2023 season represents one of hope for the Commanders.
Eric Bieniemy
Eric Bieniemy / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
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What perfect scenarios could emerge for the Washington Commanders during another potentially eventful campaign in 2023?

Regardless of what happens on the field, exorcising Dan Snyder from this franchise is the biggest victory the Washington Commanders have had since its 37-24 victory against the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVI.

With a sell-out announced for Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals, it is clear that the fanbase is eager and ready for a well-deserved fresh start.

And can you blame them?

This team has the second-fewest playoff victories in the league since 2000. The Commanders have finished first in the NFC East only three times in the last 23 years. They have cycled through 10 head coaches and over 25 starting quarterbacks since 2000, including illustrious names such as Rex Grossman, John Beck, Shane Matthews, Danny Wuerffel, and Tony Banks. Shall I go on?

The 2023 season begins a new journey for this team and I for one can't wait for the season to start. Let's take a look at 10 perfect scenarios for the upcoming campaign.

Sam Howell proves to be the long-term Commanders QB

Call me a believer, but I think the Washington Commanders may have found their franchise quarterback in Sam Howell.

After having a stand-out sophomore year where he was getting top-five NFL draft hype, his numbers dropped off during his junior campaign at North Carolina. This led to Howell making it all the way down to the Commanders on Day 3.

That alone has made some fans write him off. How can we find a franchise quarterback so late in the draft after so many first-round draft misses? Well, Washington has had success with some of these late-drafted signal-callers in the past, although they were not always the drafting team.

Mark Brunell (Round 5), Brad Johnson (Round 9), Mark Rypien (Round 6), and Joe Theismann (Round 4) were just a few of the late-round draft picks that had success in Washington. So why not Howell?

Everything we've seen so far shows that he has the confidence and intelligence to thrive in Eric Bieniemy's offense. My prediction is he will have the best year for a Washington quarterback since Kirk Cousins' 2017 season, besting 4,000 passing yards and having a greater than 2:1 touchdown-to-INT ratio.