Commanders 'Gave Up' On Desmond Howard; What Could Have Been?

The Washington Commanders have an illustrious history, but would it be even more illustrious if Desmond Howard was in town a while longer?

The Washington Commanders used the fourth pick in the 1992 NFL Draft to pluck the Heisman Trophy winner, Michigan's Desmond Howard. By 1995, he was gone.

Howard spent 11 years in the NFL, terrorizing opposing teams as one of the league's greatest kick returners ever... too bad almost none of that success came with the Commanders.

"Howard moved on from Washington after his third season and ended up winning the 1996 Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers where he also won Super Bowl MVP. After that Howard made his money as a returner," Fansided wrote.

Tallying 2,895 punt return yards and eight combined touchdowns in his 156 NFL games is absurd. But Howard returned just 10 punts in his three-year Washington tenure.

Howard did have 867 kickoff return yards on 43 attempts during his first two years in Washington, which isn't bad. But he logged zero returns in year three, focusing on receiving. 

Did the franchise misuse him? You do that math.

Had the Commanders held on to the former Heisman Trophy winner, the franchise could have boasted an elite return man for over a decade ... but it just wasn't to be.

The Heisman winner turned Super Bowl MVP turned ESPN College Gameday host had plenty of success, but none of it resonates with Washington.

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