Sam

Howell

Howell connected on a beautiful 23-yard touchdown throw to Easop Winston Jr. with a little over a minute left in the first quarter to punctuate a drive where he went 4-for-4 for 53 yards. He also found Cody White for a 33-yard gain on an impressive throw. The 23-year-old was much improved from his so-so — at best — play last week. There’s still no QB battle here, but Howell solidified his status as the backup with his play Saturday.

Howell started for the Seahawks with most of the established starters resting and did not look comfortable, going for a lowly 4.8 yards per attempt and taking two sacks. The sacks could be a regular occurrence once the starters take to the field as well considering the questionable state of the offensive line in Seattle. Even so, Howell started and played more than half of the game before fellow veteran backup PJ Walker entered the contest, a potential nod to where the depth chart stand at present.

Condotta reports a “source confirmed that Smith’s injuries are not considered significant, as first reported by ESPN Friday morning. But the team will know for certain once the test on his hip is completed Friday.” He carefully reiterated that it “is still the expectation that Smith won’t miss much time. But the team will have a firmer idea of all of Smith’s ailments after the hip imaging on Friday.” Smith appears highly likely to suit up for Week 1 but this remains a situation to monitor. Backup Sam Howell reportedly “took all of the snaps with the first team offense on Thursday... and did so during the early portion of Friday’s practice, as well.”

Walker took the field in six games for the Browns last year, throwing for 674 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions via an underwhelming 48.6% completion rate. Walker is unlikely to threaten No. 2 quarterback Sam Howell’s role but can helpfully serve as a mentor, having bounced around the league since 2017.

Even after a disastrous 2023 campaign in which Howell threw 21 interceptions and held on to the ball at a league-leading rate, four teams were in talks with Washington about acquiring the third-year quarterback. That the Seahawks won that multi-team bidding war could mean the team sees promise in Howell, 23, though Seattle general manager John Schneider said Thursday that the team did not acquire Howell to compete with Geno Smith for starting duties in 2024. Standig said the Commanders’ new regime was out on Howell right away, looking to start a rebuild with a top quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft.

This was probably obvious to most, but the idea had some purchase on social media after the Seahawks ever-so-slightly slow played Geno’s going-forward status this offseason. Howell had all the makings of a career backup in 2023, displaying some genuine play-making ability but demonstrating far too many valleys to go along with his peaks. He can come off the bench and win a game, but Smith is the vastly superior option for 2024.

The Howell experiment is one-and-done in Washington, as the former fifth-round pick now gets a chance to start over in Seattle. Howell led the league in pass attempts (612), interceptions (21), and sacks (65) last season and was rapidly approaching the NFL sack record for the first half of the season. Howell and the Commanders won just four games in 2023, securing them the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, which will presumably be used on a quarterback. In exchange for Howell, the Commanders received the No. 78 and No. 152 overall pick in next month’s draft, giving them six picks in the top 100. Howell will get a “chance” to compete with Geno Smith for the Seahawks’ starting gig, although it’d be surprising to see him win out over Smith, who threw for 3,624-20-9 last season. In addition to Howell, the Commanders also sent 2024 fourth and fifth-round picks to the Seahawks.

The deal has a “base value” of $6 million and is worth “up to” $10 million. It’s a lot of money for what amounts to a caddy for the No. 2 overall pick. Mariota has also proven to be a fairly poor backup option. He does provide versatility and experience, and is clearly a plus in the locker room considering how many teams continue to eagerly sign him. The signing, of course, is awful news for Sam Howell, who will likely now be on the way out of town. Howell couldn’t command more than a conditional day three pick (or pick swap) via trade.

Howell has started 18 games for the Commanders and started all 17 games for them last season. The former fifth-round pick had a year of ups and downs that ended with several downs. Benched twice in favor of Jacoby Brissett over the final month of the season, Howell also threw four touchdowns to just 12 interceptions in his final seven games, and wound up leading the league in interceptions (21) and sacks taken (65). His value as a backup can’t be overstated, but Howell looked like anything but a player who teams would want to roll out for another full slate of games. Given his experience as a starter and the fact he’s on a cheap contract through 2025, it’s hard to imagine the Commanders wanting to part with him, but they may not balk at an offer if the price is right.

Sando suggested the Commanders could take Maye with the second pick in the 2024 draft and have him sit behind former North Carolina teammate Sam Howell until Maye is ready to take on the starting role. However, five of the six NFL executives who spoke to Sando about the first round of the draft said Washington would take LSU QB Jayden Daniels with the second overall pick. If Peters is adamant about Maye as a future franchise quarterback, look for Washington’s new ownership to go with their new GM.