Commanders' Sam Howell: Boom or Bust?

Sam Howell is likely entering his first season as the Washington Commanders starting quarterback. Will he live up to the hype or crash and burn?

As the season inches closer, the noise surrounding Sam Howell only gets louder. 

The Washington Commanders' hopes of making the playoffs depend on their quarterback play. While Howell has drawn rave reviews from teammates, we'll only see if Washington's faith in him is warranted when the games finally count. 

Not everyone thinks Howell will be the guy the Commanders hope he will be. Bleacher Report predicted one bust for each team and picked Howell for Washington. 

A big reason Bleacher Report picked Howell for the Commanders was the addition of quarterback Jacoby Brissett. Howell's size and lack of experience also played a role in being picked to be a bust.

"It's also telling that the Commanders also brought in Jacoby Brissett this offseason," Bleacher Report writes. "Brissett is the ideal quarterback to have when you need someone to just step in for a stretch of games and keep the offense afloat."

With Brissett potentially waiting in the wings, Bleacher Report also said Washington likely won't wait if things don't pan out for Howell, given the weapons surrounding him like wide receivers Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson.

"The Commanders have the offensive core to win games," Bleacher Report writes. "If Howell doesn't hit the ground running, it's hard to believe they won't look to turn things over to Brissett." 

Brissett started 11 games for the Cleveland Browns last season. Cleveland went 4-7, and Brissett was eighth in quarterback rating. For his career, the seven-year veteran has started 48 games and is 18-30. 

In the lone start of Howell's career, he was 11-19 for 169 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Washington's 26-6 win over the Dallas Cowboys. He also ran for 35 yards and a score. 

While Howell's one start was enough for Washington to think he'll be the guy, there's no telling whether he'll live up to expectations or be a bust. If Howell is the guy, Washington will have a shot to make the playoffs for the first time since 2020. 

And if Howell isn't, he likely won't be the only guy who gets replaced at season's end. 

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