Remember when ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller compared current Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell to former Washington — and current Arizona Cardinals QB — Colt McCoy?
The comparison sparked outrage amongst Washington fans. After all, the comparison really didn’t make a lot of sense. While some of what Miller said was fair, his comparison lost credibility when he questioned Howell’s arm strength.
Colt McCoy’s arm strength does not compare to Howell’s. Even McCoy’s biggest fan, former Washington head coach Jay Gruden, agreed Howell had the better arm.
Washington fans, or at least some fans, weren’t knocking McCoy when criticizing Miller’s comments. McCoy is entering his 14th NFL season in 2023. It was more of his physical comparison to McCoy.
With that aside, Miller recently published a new mock draft for ESPN, with college football kicking off this weekend. And, per Miller, he has the Commanders taking a quarterback in the top 10 — at No. 8 — despite the promise shown by Howell throughout the preseason.
Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas
The Commanders named second-year quarterback Sam Howell as their starter, but they also have a new owner and uncertainty surrounding the future of the front office and coaching staff. Howell showed promise in his one start in 2022 and could play his way into the job long-term. But Ewers, one of the highest-rated prep recruits of the past decade, has fantastic all-around ability at 6-2 and 200 pounds.
He missed a month of his 2022 season with a shoulder injury and has been uneven at times (15 touchdown passes to six interceptions last season), but he flashed command, accuracy and second-effort ability outside the pocket. Will he now take the next step under Steve Sarkisian and elevate the Texas program back to greatness before potentially being an answer under center for Washington?
Would Ewers really be a significant upgrade over Howell? They are similar in size, and while the competition was different for each player in college, there was no debating Howell’s collegiate success. Ewers remains more about potential right now — just like Howell in the NFL.
Look, it’s fair to keep mocking quarterbacks to Washington for the moment. Howell needs to prove he can be the franchise’s quarterback of the future in 2023. As of now, he hasn’t done that yet. Yes, he’s shown some early promise, but until he does it over a lengthy period of time, there will still be doubts about him as a long-term NFL starting quarterback.