Commander Country

Commanders Coach Ron Rivera Reveals 'More Than Likely' QB1

Sam Howell is currently the early favorite to be the Washington Commanders starting quarterback for next season.

Jeremy Brener

In this story:

The Washington Commanders enter the 2023 season with a question mark at quarterback, but head coach Ron Rivera may have put an end to the mystery.

In an appearance on NFL Network, Rivera was asked whether the team's Week 1 starting quarterback was on the roster now.

Rivera responded: "Well I think [Sam Howell] most certainly can be... We will go into OTA's, minicamp and training camp with Sam Howell more than likely as QB1 and we'll see what happens."

The endorsement is major news for the Commanders and Howell, who started the team's final game of the season ... a 26-6 win against the playoff-bound Dallas Cowboys.

Howell, a fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, sat behind Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke for a majority of the season, but without the pressure of performing on the field, he soaked up a lot of knowledge and developed his tools to make him the early favorite to be the team's starter going into next season.

As for the 2022 quarterbacks, Wentz is likely to be cut with his $26 million cap hit for next season and Heinicke is a free agent ... though he could return to Washington in a backup/complementary role to Howell.

Rivera also stated on the broadcast that there would be some type of competition for the starting gig and that Howell wasn't guaranteed to be under center Week 1.

Whether that competition comes from Heinicke, another veteran free agent or a rookie in the upcoming draft, Howell will have to earn his place as the team's franchise quarterback.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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