Commanders EXCLUSIVE: Sam Howell, Jeremy Reaves Reveal Thoughts After Being Named Captains

Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell and safety Jeremy Reaves are team captains for the first time.

ASHBURN, Va. -- What a difference a year makes in the lives of NFL players like Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell and safety Jeremy Reaves. 

This time last year Howell was the Commanders' third-string quarterback sitting behind veterans Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke after sliding from a first-round projection to a fifth-round NFL Draft pick.

Still, even then, there were those in Howell's corner who promised everyone who passed him up would one day regret it - even if the quarterback himself doesn't hold any particular grudges for those who lost faith.

"Obviously there's a little bit," Howell told Commander Country when asked about having any extra motivation after being underdrafted. "I felt like I should've been drafted earlier but at the same time I really don't put too much stock into that because it is what it is...at the end of the day I'm fortunate to be in the situation I'm in."

Howell has done a good job in limited opportunities to prove those who doubted him personally and the 2022 quarterback class in general wrong, but he also understands that getting to lead a team as a second-year player is something not everybody gets to do.

And it's something he's earned through leadership and play, leading to his teammates voting him a team captain despite having just one NFL start under his belt.

"It means a lot," Howell said about his teammates voting him as a captain for the first time. "(It's) definitely another thing I don't take for granted. Something I don't take lightly (and I'm) very grateful for my teammates."

Geoff Burke, USA Today

Joining Howell as a first-year team captain is Reaves, the undrafted free agent safety turned All-Pro and Pro Bowl special teams contributor who is on a mission to show that he was one of the most slept-on players in the 2018 NFL rookie class.

"I've always felt this way about myself," Reaves about being recognized as a leader on the team. "Even before I was on the 53 last year I've had this mentality my whole career."

Reaves also said he feels blessed that his teammates recognize his hard work and view him in that light and is looking forward to, "proving it all over again."

"Reavo is the best," Howell said of his fellow first-year captain. "He's so much fun to be around (and) just a great guy to have in the locker room. A great teammate...always does the right thing and it's so cool to be around a team that has a lot of young guys that are not only good players but good leaders and good teammates."

Titles are nice, as are individual awards, but the real proof comes in the win-loss columns. 

Washington hasn't had a winning season in seven since it last won nine games in 2015, so the entire organization has something to prove this year.

Joining Howell and Reaves are receiver Terry McLaurin, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, cornerback Kendall Fuller, and punter Tress Way in the captain's room. 

Together, with a solid mix of veteran leadership, new energy, and talent all around, the plan is for the Commanders to rally behind their underdog captains and prove that D.C. football is all the way back.