Sam Howell has been tabbed the QB1 for the Washington Commanders entering the offseason activities. However, head coach Ron Rivera maintains there will be a competition between Howell and Jacoby Brissett for the starting quarterback.
“Just because I said [Howell’s] going to start off as QB1 doesn’t mean he’s going to finish as QB1,” Rivera said, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. “I’d like to believe though that if he goes out and does the things he’s capable of, he has a very good chance of doing that.”
Sam Howell took all of the first-team reps throughout OTA practices. But, considering he has one start in the NFL, and going into his second year, it makes sense to give him the early reps. Howell needs it more than Brissett, who is entering his eighth season in the NFL.
As for if Jacoby Brissett expects to get first-team reps in training camp, Rivera wasn’t committal.
“That’ll be something that we’ll sit down and talk about once we finish up [minicamp],” Rivera said. “I know Eric [Bieniemy] likes what he’s seeing right now from both guys, so we’ll just continue to work.”
It’s too early to judge a situation in OTAs and mandatory minicamps. As Rivera later relayed, it’s unfair to make assessments until the two take the field for games. Still, actions are louder than words. Training camp will be more of an illustration of how the Commanders see the QB situation.
Rivera’s words sound more like a message to light a fire under the second-year QB. Brissett has played in 76 NFL games, including 48 starts. Yet, he has never quite been the primary starting QB. He’s a great backup, one of the best in the league.
Brisett has always been a viable fill-in for Tom Brady, Andrew Luck, Tua Tagovailoa, and Deshaun Watson. However, Howell doesn’t have the stature of either. Thus, Brissett beating out Howell is a real possibility if the Commanders hold a legit competition.
Howell is a fifth-round draft pick. Rivera is entering his fourth year in Washington with an ownership change on the horizon. There’s a lot for Rivera and his staff to prove if he wants to remain the Commanders head coach beyond 2023.
With all things considered, if Brissett is named starter ahead of Howell, the decision would be understandable. Yet, Washington’s starting QB seems to be Howell’s to lose.
