Why One Glaring Weakness Could Ruin Howell, Commanders' Season

Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell has been a source of hope going into 2023, but is far from a sure-fire starting quarterback.

Simply put, the Washington Commanders have to see what they have in quarterback Sam Howell. Quarterback purgatory is a ruthless place to live and Howell is the closest thing Washington has to a ticket out.

They’ve aimed for Howell to be the starter practically all offseason. They held their finger down on the scale of the quarterback competition, giving Howell virtually every first-team rep. That’s perfectly fine—the process of making a player “earn” a role that everybody knows is theirs happens all the time.

However, Howell has some significant strides to make if he’s going to be a quality quarterback. That starts with taking fewer sacks.

Sacks are largely a product of the one’s taking them. Sack rates tend to follow quarterbacks with them to new teams and improved offensive lines. Guys that have the skills to avoid sacks, whether it be by shifty pocket navigation or a quick trigger, often do.

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According to Seth Walder, Howell’s 8.7 percent collegiate sack rate is just behind passers like Tom Savage and Trent Edwards for the highest rates in recent memory.

In the one game he played last year, his proclivity for taking sacks came through. He was sacked on 13.6 percent of his drop backs against the Dallas Cowboys. Obviously, the small sample isn’t statistically significant, but that would have trailed only Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields (14.7 percent) last season.

The consensus surrounding the Commanders’ offensive line isn’t particularly optimistic. Fans hoping to get an easy evaluation of Howell due to the prowess of the pass protection will likely be disappointed. A quarterback prone to taking sacks and an offensive line that projects to give up plenty of pressures isn’t exactly a recipe for success.

It will be on the second-year quarterback to make the strides his lineman fail to. Expect offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to be creative in his deployment of running backs, quick game concepts, and moving pockets to alleviate pressure from Howell.

Ultimately, taking a sack is one of the quickest ways to get stuck in unfavorable, turnover-prone situations. Howell needs to stay ahead of the chains, and opposing pass rushers, in 2023. He’ll get his first crack at improving against an Arizona Cardinals team destined for the cellar on Sept. 10.