Commanders coach Ron Rivera said in February that Sam Howell is the team’s QB1, but Rivera made clear today that Howell is still in a competition with Jacoby Brissett to see who opens the regular season as the starter.
“Just because I said he’s going to start off as QB1 doesn’t mean he’s going to finish as QB1,” Rivera said of Howell. “I like to believe, though, that if he goes out and does the things he’s capable of, he’s got a very good chance of doing that. I think Jacoby has shown us some things that have really gotten people’s attention. We talk about Jacoby almost as much as we talk about Sam. I just think as we go through this process, until we play games, it would be unfair to start making assessments.”
Rivera said both Howell and Brissett are capable of performing well in new coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s offense.
“I know Eric likes what he’s seeing right now from both guys,” Rivera said.
Howell has to be considered the favorite to start Week One, but Brissett will have the opportunity to earn the job over the next three months.