Commanders News: Terry McLaurin, Chase Young, Ron Rivera and Sam Howell

Commanders QB Sam Howell's seal of approval

Sam Howell is riding on the crest of a wave currently. The quarterback looks like a different figure from the one that began early offseason workouts, displaying a level of confidence and conviction that saw him comfortably emerge as the Washington Commanders QB1 heading into the campaign.

The Commanders have been luckless in their search for a franchise quarterback for what seems like decades. Whether Howell steps up and finally solves this significant issue remains to be seen, but head coach Ron Rivera is clearly confident he's found a guy at long last based on his comments via Pro Football Talk.

"I think there’s not that question mark still, you know what I’m saying? For three seasons, I’ve always felt that I had a question mark and now you feel like, ‘Okay, this is pretty good.’ I mean, I’m pretty comfortable, pretty confident and I look forward to seeing it. I really do. I mean, the other night seeing it was, ‘Wow, he did some really nice thing. Let’s keep rolling, let’s keep growing and hopefully it continues.’"

- Ron Rivera via Pro Football Talk

All this momentum surrounding Howell is incredibly positive. But it will count for nothing if the signal-caller cannot raise his performance levels when competitive games arrive in the coming weeks.

Howell is generating buzz at just the right time. What's important for the North Carolina product is harnessing this into franchise-caliber performances to propel the Commanders back into contention.