Commanders News: Sam Howell, Quan Martin, Dyami Brown and Chase Young

Commanders QB Sam Howell's 'boom or bust' potential

The Washington Commanders are placing a lot of faith in quarterback Sam Howell with so many jobs on the line in 2023. Many would argue confidence is too high in a player drafted in the fifth round with just one career start under his belt.

Ron Rivera and many within the Commanders franchise are believers in Howell. He's done nothing to suggest otherwise throughout early workouts, but the intensity is sure to rise considerably once the pads go on at training camp in Ashburn.

Things could go either way for Howell and Washington in 2023. So it came as no surprise to see Alex Ballentine from The Bleacher Report named the North Carolina product as the Commanders' biggest boom or bust element heading into the season.

"In a perfect Washington Commander world, Sam Howell would prove all the doubters wrong. But it's also telling that the Commanders also brought in Jacoby Brissett this offseason. Brissett is the ideal quarterback to have when you need someone to just step in for a stretch of games and keep the offense afloat. The Commanders have the offensive core to win games. If Howell doesn't hit the ground running it's hard to believe they won't look to turn things over to Brissett. Howell is a fifth-round pick with just one start under his belt and is a size outlier at 6'0", 218 pounds. There's a lot stacked against him coming out strong."

Howell would be wise to ignore all the outside noise and focus on what got him this opportunity in the first place. But the Commanders were absolutely right to bring in a dependable veteran as a contingency plan.