Washington Football Spring Game 2017: 5 things to watch for

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Dec 31, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Jake Browning (3) reacts during the fourth quarter in the 2016 CFP Semifinal against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /

With the Washington spring game set to take place, what should be watched for?

Washington Football is coming off a spectacular 2016 season. They not only won the Pac-12 Championship Game but made it into the College Football Playoff. Their hopes were quickly ended by Alabama, but it capped off a great campaign for Chris Petersen’s squad.

Now, the Huskies have to regroup for the 2017 season, hoping to move one step closer to a National Championship. They’ll return familiar faces on offense, including Jake Browning, Myles Gaskin and Dante Pettis. Big names are gone, however, to graduation and the NFL Draft.

We should see the beginning of this era of Husky Football in their spring game, which will put their players against each other. Who could step up? What will everyone need to watch for? Let’s take a look at some of their biggest storylines for this matchup.

Oct 22, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels (11) hands off during the fourth quarter against the Oregon State Beavers at Husky Stadium. Washington won 41-17. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports /

5. The other quarterbacks

We know Washington is getting back Browning from injury, but he’s been steadily worked into the mix after having surgery in January. It doesn’t ensure how much time he’ll see on the field for the spring game, which means we may see more of the other quarterbacks.

If Browning reinjures himself during the season and can’t play, someone will have to be prepared. That will be left to one of the two hyphened middle-named quarterbacks — KJ Carta-Samuels or Daniel Bridge-Gadd.

Carta-Samuels — a junior for 2017 — played in six games, throwing for 104 yards on 13 attempts. If Browning’s injury had been enough for him to sit out games, Carta-Samuels would have stepped in. He’s a former four-star quarterback from the 2014 recruiting class, who fell to the backup role when Browning came on campus.

Bridge-Gadd is entering his second season with the Huskies and never attempted a pass in a regular-season game. So, he’ll be sitting at No. 3 on the depth chart. That doesn’t mean he won’t get a look during the spring game, especially if Browning doesn’t play much. That would be the former three-star recruit’s chance of shining and making a future case for himself as the post-Browning quarterback.

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