3 important takeaways after Commanders' preseason win at the Browns

What were some important takeaways from the Washington Commanders' success against the Cleveland Browns in Preseason Week 1?

The Washington Commanders won their first preseason game on the road at the Cleveland Browns 17-15 on Friday night. Here are three of the biggest takeaways.

Sam Howell looks the part as Commanders QB1

Sam Howell has shown a lot of flashes in training camp leading up to the preseason, but it was time to see how he commanded the offense in live game action. The signal-caller finished the game 9 for 12 for 77 passing yards and a touchdown to the outreached hands of Jahan Dotson.

Howell showed poise and moved around the pocket to buy some time to find the open pass-catcher on plays throughout the night. This included a fourth down conversion which would ultimately lead to the touchdown to Doston.

The second-year quarterback didn't force any ill-advised throws when nothing was there. Howell also had no problem keeping the drive alive by throwing the ball away twice.

Howell also put his running game on display early, with a big-time eight-yard rush on third and six on the opening drive of the game. The former North Carolina stud talked about his performance after the game with the media and gave himself an assessment.

Commanders OL needs to improve, but has potential

Even though Sam Howell is a mobile quarterback and showed great pocket presence, the offensive line is going to have to help give the signal-caller time to get things clicking on offense this season.

The Washington Commanders added two starters to the offensive line this offseason in center Nick Gates and right tackle Andrew Wylie. But it might not have been enough.

Wylie struggled in his first showing for Washington and had two holding penalties called - one of which was in the end-zone for a safety. The Commanders did however have two young players step up in the moment.

Both Chris Paul and Sam Cosmi made the most of their opportunities in the first preseason game of the season. The former second-round pick wasted no time making a highlight reel moment in the trenches when he finished with a pancake block on the third play of the game.

Paul has been competing with Saahdiq Charles for the starting spot at left guard and got the starting opportunity with his teammate out with an injury. The interior lineman showed a lot of flashes in picking up delayed stunts and key blocks in the second level on running plays.

He certainly made a case for LG1 on Friday night.

Commanders have plenty of targets to choose from

The Washington Commanders will have to cut some really solid talent in the next coming weeks. But quarterback Sam Howell will have plenty of weapons at his disposal in 2023.

The deepest position for Washington is arguably the wide receiver room, especially after offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy brought over some help with former Kansas City Chiefs players. How many receivers will the Commanders keep though?

The Commanders are likely going to have six receivers on the roster. Especially with the flexibility of Antonio Gibson, Bieniemy has a tough decision to make.

Aside from the top four wide receivers in Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Curtis Samuel, and Dyami Brown, the last two spots could go to whoever offers the most in special teams in addition to Washington's offense.

In Week 1 of the preseason, we saw flashes from the undrafted rookie Kazmeir Allen on kick and punt returns, while Dax Milne continued to struggle in the return game. The one thing we haven't seen out of the undrafted free agent so far though, is what kind of role he offers when the offense is on the field.

Byron Pringle is one of Bieniemy's familiar faces that he brought over with him to Washington recently. The wideout looks to comfortably have a roster spot locked in with the experience, playing ability, and special team flexibility. He helped his case with a big-time catch from Jacoby Brissett as well.

Logan Thomas sat out the first preseason game with an injury. This gave the rest of the tight-end room the opportunity to shine.

John Bates dropped his only target on the night which would have been a big gain if it wasn't for a holding call on the offensive line. Cole Turner shined and even threw some big blocks.

Turner caught all four of his targets on Friday night and showed that he has the reliable hands to be a go-to target for Howell. Especially on key plays such as third and fourth downs.

The Commanders now move on to Baltimore for joint practices with the Ravens and Week 2 of the preseason. These storylines are worth keeping an eye on as the regular season approaches.