The Washington Commanders are still searching for their quarterback of the future, and they believe they may have found him in Sam Howell. Despite being picked in the fifth-round of the 2022 NFL Draft and only playing in one game last season, Howell showed his potential, and entered training camp with the inside track for the starting quarterback job.

The job was not going to be handed to Howell, though, as Washington brought in solid placeholder starter Jacoby Brissett to compete for the starting job with him. It never seemed like Brissett was truly competing for the job, though, and head coach Ron Rivera confirmed what everyone basically knew to be true on Friday morning; Howell had won the Commanders starting quarterback job.

Via Tom Pelissero:

“The Commanders have made it official: Sam Howell is their starting QB.”

Howell looked impressive in his only game action last year (11/19, 169 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT, 5 CAR, 35 YDS, 1 TD), leading Washington to a 26-6 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. One game doesn't automatically make Howell a shoe-in for success, but it's clear that he has the potential to be what Washington is looking for at the quarterback position.

Landing the starting gig shouldn't come as a surprise for Howell, and he could be in for a big season, as the Commanders have a lot of talented pieces around him on offense. Rivera did the right thing by ending the speculation surrounding his role; now it will be time to see if Howell can deliver the goods and help lead Washington to a successful 2023 campaign.