Commander Country

Commanders Hire Eric Bieniemy; Sam Howell Still 'Likely' Starting QB?

Sam Howell is on pace to be the Washington Commanders starting quarterback next season. But does that change after the Eric Bieniemy hire?

Jeremy Brener

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The Washington Commanders are one step closer towards building their team for next season, hiring two-time Super Bowl champion coach Eric Bieniemy as the new offensive coordinator.

Bieniemy has been partially responsible for the latest NFL dynasty with Patrick Mahomes at the helm, and he's leaving all of that success behind for a chance with the Commanders and ... Sam Howell?

Howell, a second-year pro who made his NFL debut in the final game of the 2022 season, has been tabbed the "likely" starting quarterback by Commanders coach Ron Rivera.

"We will go into OTA's, minicamp and training camp with Sam Howell more than likely as QB1 and we'll see what happens," Rivera said earlier this month.

While Howell has a ton of talent that a coach like Bieniemy could unlock, there's questions as to whether or not the new offensive coordinator believes in him.

The Commanders played the waiting game in their offensive coordinator search and won, signing the best potential candidate on the market. If Bieniemy didn't approve of Howell as the starter and wanted somebody else, there's a good chance Washington would accept that request.

With several veteran quarterbacks on the open market like Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo, there are probably a lot of them that view Washington as a great free agent destination now because of Bieniemy.

Bieniemy has the power to recruit his own quarterback with the skillset of his choosing to lead the Commanders. It doesn't have to be Howell or Taylor Heinicke.

This means that if Howell is still the "likely" starter, that's a very strong endorsement from one of the league's greatest offensive minds.

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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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