The Washington Commanders came up a bit short in their preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers, but at the least, Sam Howell made the most out of his time on the field.

Howell featured in the second half of the contest, as he finally received a key opportunity to anchor the Washington offense in a game. The rookie quarterback threw the football 16 times, tallied 145 passing yards and also scored two rushing touchdowns.

The Panthers front seven had quite a difficult time containing Howell when the former North Carolina standout opted to scramble out of the pocket for a run.

Commanders head coach Ron Rivera came away from the contest pleased with the showing from Howell in what was the first preseason game of the passer's career. As Rivera touched on during his post-game press conference, he sees that Howell has a “bright future” ahead of him.

“He's a guy the more he learns the better he is going to become,” Rivera said. “He is a guy that has a bright future.”

For now, the Commanders have a pair of preseason matchups remaining against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens. These contests sure will present Howell with a valuable chance to continue to prove to the coaching staff that he should be listed as the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart come Week 1 of the upcoming season.