After Sunday’s win over the Patriots, Commanders defensive lineman Jonathan Allen said Sam Howell has established himself as the franchise quarterback in Washington for 5-10 years. Howell hopes Allen is right, but isn’t ready to say that conclusively.
Howell says he still believes he has enough day-in and day-out improvements to make that he can’t quite declare himself the franchise quarterback.
“I want to be the quarterback here for a really long time,” Howell said, via ESPN. “But how I’m going to get to that point is taking it one day at a time. That’s the way I look at it. I never worry about the future.”
Howell has shown promise in Washington this season but has also shown a lot he needs to work on, particularly when it comes to avoiding the pass rush, as he has taken an NFL-high 44 sacks. In the eyes of Commanders head coach Ron Rivera, Howell’s promise is legitimate and his improvement will continue to come.
“We feel we have a quarterback,” Rivera said. “This franchise has been looking for quite some time and for the first time in a while, I think that that guy might be here.”
Of course, that might not be Rivera’s decision. It’s unclear whether new Commanders owner Josh Harris will stick with Rivera beyond this season, and if Rivera is gone, a new head coach might want a new quarterback. So while Howell wants to be in Washington for a really long time, he’s right to focus on what he can control, and not on a future that is uncertain for everyone on the Commanders.
