Commanders News: Ron Rivera, Sam Howell, Chase Young and Jason Wright
By Dean Jones
Commanders QB Sam Howell's focus
It was a promising start to training camp for quarterback Sam Howell with Josh Harris and Mitchell Rales watching closely. The bar wasn't exactly high after indifferent performances from Jacoby Brissett and especially Jake Fromm, but the former fifth-round selection was the undoubted standout under center thanks to an efficient practice on Day 1.
Howell is looking to establish himself as the team's long-term option. We'll find out more when the pads go on in the coming days, but the signal-caller is ignoring all the outside noise and focusing on what he can control based on his post-practice presser comments via NFL.com.
"I know some people might think it's crazy, just because of how the draft went and I hardly played at all last year, but for me it doesn't really change anything for me. I know the type of player that I can be in this league, and I feel like I've worked very hard and put myself in this position to go out there and succeed. So I (couldn't) really care less about what other people say. It's really about what I hear in this building and what I hear internally."
- Sam Howell via NFL.com
There is a long way to go for Howell. But taking things one day at a time, correcting mistakes, and becoming more comfortable with Eric Bieniemy's system can ensure he's ready to rock in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals in front of a reignited crowd at FedEx Field.
What comes after that is less certain, but it's so far, so good up to now.