Sam Howell took another step toward becoming the Commanders official starting quarterback after his impressive preseason debut. Howell and the Commanders got the win 17-15 over the Cleveland Browns in his first start for the 2023 season.
Head coach Ron Rivera saw a lot of things he liked from Howell in the victory. When asked about Howell his response was, “Very encouraged. A lot of good things,” Rivera said. “I thought he threw some really good balls. I thought his decision-making was what you want. He looked to have command of things. It was good to see him get into a rhythm. Again, a good positive start for our guys,” per Christian Gonzalez of NFL.com.
Though Rivera has stated that Howell will get the first-team reps headed into training camp and the preseason, he has also made it clear that Howell still has to earn the starting quarterback role.