Commanders News: Sam Howell, Chase Young, Terry McLaurin and secondary ranked
By Dean Jones
Commanders QB Sam Howell's unknown
A lot of unknowns surround Sam Howell heading into his first season as Washington Commanders starting quarterback. Many within the organization believe this could be the spark that ignites the offense to bigger things under Eric Bieniemy, with others going as far as saying the former fifth-round selection could lead his team on an unintentional tank.
There doesn't seem to be any happy medium regarding Howell's projections. Either head coach Ron Rivera is going to look like a genius under new ownership or they'll be out of a job once the season concludes.
This was a sentiment echoed by Will Brinson of CBS Sports when discussing Howell among other NFL quarterbacks. The North Carolina product landed in his "No Clue, Man" Tier 6, with the writer comparing his predicament to that of Jordan Love as he gets set to replace Aaron Rodgers for the Green Bay Packers.
"I wanted to put [Sam] Howell and [Jordan] Love higher because I think they both possess upside the public is unnecessarily scoffing at, but there wasn't a spot above that fit and I certainly wouldn't bet my life on either being a good or great NFL quarterback. Additionally the style of play -- including aggressive use of their legs from the position -- creates a ceiling/floor level you don't see from the Tier 5 guys. If both Howell and Love were in the NFC postseason it wouldn't be that shocking."
- Will Brinson, CBS Sports
One could make a case Love has been around long enough to have a leg-up despite not playing much competitively. But Howell has plenty of jobs in his hands as Josh Harris and his team of wealthy investors examine every area of the franchise before making potentially landmark changes.