Commanders News: Sam Howell, Josh Harris, Dan Snyder and name change

Sam Howell's important Commanders training camp

While the sale remains a hot topic of discussion, the Washington Commanders have begun welcoming players to Ashburn for the start of training camp. Rookies reported to the facility on Friday to get a head start, with veterans joining in the coming days before things get serious on the practice field

This is a fascinating time for everyone associated with the franchise. Josh Harris and his group will likely have their faces present at various stages of camp, but the focus must remain on putting the right foundations in place for a successful 2023 campaign.

One player under more pressure than most is Sam Howell. Something that was recently highlighted by Bryan Manning from USA Today Sports, who named the quarterback as a player that must have a strong camp in readiness for increased responsibilities.

"He enters training camp as “QB1,” per head coach Ron Rivera. However, the head coach hasn’t named a starting quarterback yet. Presumably, if Howell enters camp as the top quarterback, he needs to do enough to fend off veteran Jacoby Brissett in order to start Week 1. If Brissett outperforms Howell this summer, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be the starter. The truth is, that is the expectation with Howell having only played one career game. However, Howell needs to show progress daily. The coaches know he’ll make mistakes. It’s not repeating mistakes, which is something offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy praised him for in the spring. If the two quarterbacks look similar this summer, Howell will have officially won the job."

- Bryan Manning, USA Today Sports

Howell's taken everything in his stride throughout the preparation period so far. But the former fifth-round pick cannot afford to have doubts creep in about his ability to finally provide the Commanders with a stable presence at football's most pivotal spot.