Commanders Report Card: QBs Flunking Out?

The Washington Commanders are not expected to fare well under quarterback Sam Howell's first season as the primary starter.

There aren't a lot of people who have faith in the Washington Commanders and their second-year quarterback Sam Howell.

In a year where coach Ron Rivera's job is on the line, he's hitched his wagon to a defensively stacked roster led by the 2022 fifth-round NFL Draft pick. 

A fact that many views as the eventual catalyst for his dismissal.

In his season projections, ESPN projects Howell as the leader of the lowest-graded quarterback room in the NFL. 

Earning a .1 score out of a possible 4.0 Washington's group received the worst possible grade from ESPN. 

But the quarterback room isn't the only one getting low marks as the tight end, offensive line, and linebacker groups all come in with sub-1.0 grades.

The highest-graded unit for the Commanders is the interior defensive line group featuring defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne which received a 3.5 grade, followed by the edge group led by Montez Sweat and Chase Young coming in at 3.0. 

Washington's receiver group led by Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, and Curtis Samuel was the only unit to get graded in the green, coming in at 2.9. 

Still, none of that was able to keep the Commanders from being projected underdogs in 15 of their 17 regular season games.

The team is only favored in Clay's projections in one game getting a 64 percent chance of beating the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1. 

After that, Washington has no better than a 47 percent chance of winning a game until Week 15 on the road to face the Los Angeles Rams with a 50 percent chance.

Closing the season against the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, and Dallas Cowboys, the Commanders finish with a run of sub-30 percent win projections. 

All part of facing Clay's eighth toughest schedule in the 2023 NFL Season.

Find David Harrison on the Locked On Commanders podcast or text him directly at (202) 760-2188.

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