Ranking every NFL team’s quarterback situation ahead of summer offseason program

31. Washington Commanders
Projected Starter: Sam Howell

The Washington Commanders are going into this season with a brand new ownership group, looking to make a splash. Josh Harris isn’t new to buying distressed assets in sports and building them from the ground up. He bought the Philadelphia 76ers and watched as they instilled “The Process” that led to years of losing before a run of playoff appearances. His New Jersey Devils went through multiple rebuilds before finally breaking the franchise record for wins this past season. Now, he’s looking to do the same with the Commanders.

It looks like the winning ways will be hard to come by at first. Unlike the Cardinals, there is no superstar on the injury report. The Commanders chose to go with Sam Howell. The North Carolina product is definitely talented. At one point in college, some considered him worthy of a first-round pick. Things began to fall apart, and the Commanders ended up taking him in the 5th round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Howell played in one game last season, and he looked all right. Ron Rivera wasn’t given much to work with at the position, with Carson Wentz completely flopping and Taylor Heinicke couldn’t find consistency under center. Howell led the Commanders to victory, beating their rival Dallas Cowboys in Week 18.

Despite the win, the stat line shows this isn’t a quarterback to be excited about. Howell is keeping the seat warm for the next guy. They have a legit backup in Jacoby Brissett. Expect to see him take over at some point this season. Howell does have Eric Bieiemy as the offensive coordinator, so hopefully that’s something.