Commanders News: Logan Thomas, Sam Howell, Kamren Curl and Chase Young

Commanders QB Sam Howell draws rave reviews

Sam Howell had the brightest spotlight on his performance levels imaginable during the official start of OTAs. The Washington Commanders are giving the former fifth-round pick a real opportunity to become the team's starting quarterback in 2023, but head coach Ron Rivera and his staff will be monitoring his every move closely throughout the summer before officially confirming this intent.

Howell left a decent impression over the three-day period. There is genuine velocity on his throws and the timing seems to be improving with Washington's primary pass-catchers, although working on touch will be something to monitor as the preparation period progresses.

When speaking on Howell's production so far, wide receiver Terry McLaurin stated via Trevor Woods from Yardbarker that the North Carolina product is in complete command and has everyone pulling in the same direction.

"He's running the show and I think he's doing a really good job of that. He's doing a good job of communicating with us. His play on the field, the ball comes out of his hand really well. And he has a good feel of where we are so far. We're going to continue to try to build with him and give him as much confidence as possible."

- Terry McLaurin via Yardbarker

This was always going to be half the battle for Howell this offseason. Having players like McLaurin onside early is only going to serve the signal-caller well before he suits up for the Commanders' opener against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1.