Commanders Betting it All on 'Unknown' Sam Howell

The Washington Commanders are going forward with Sam Howell next season, and the franchise has put all its eggs into the second-year quarterback's basket. But is it the right move?

The Washington Commanders quarterback room has been a revolving door of late, and Sam Howell is the latest to try and stake his claim. After Taylor Heinicke and Carson Wentz were moved on, by default, Howell, who only has one career start to his name, is now being given the opportunity to lead Eric Bieniemy's offense.

Jacoby Brissett is Howell's backup at the time of writing, and as we move closer to training camp, we will get a better idea of which way Bieniemy and head coach Ron Rivera are leaning.

CBS Sports has revealed its NFC tiers, with the Commanders falling into tier 4, the "restoration projects," along with Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

And Howell is a big reason why Washington is ranked so low.

"The Commanders have legit weapons in Terry McLaurin and the defensive front, but coach Ron Rivera, who hasn't led a winning season since 2017, is betting on a total unknown at QB in Sam Howell," CBS Sports writes.

As Howell only has one start to his name (Week 18 last season in a 26-6 win vs. the Cowboys), many see it as a big leap of faith from Rivera, who, for some, is coaching for his job in the nation's capital next season.

There have been some good moments for Howell during OTA's and minicamp, but when the regular season begins, we will get a better gauge on if he is "the guy" going forward.

Is Washington a "restoration project"? Having barely missed the playoffs last season and having a defensive unit that ranks inside the top 10, there are some good things that the Commanders have going for them, so we aren't sure about that.

However, with such an inexperienced quarterback in Howell, many aren't sure what to expect of the Commanders' offense next season and, as such, are maybe taking a big risk in entering the season with a quarterback who is a big unknown quantity in the NFL.

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