Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell’s first two drives didn’t go as expected in Friday’s preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns.
It wasn’t as if Howell was bad; he wasn’t. But Washington’s offense was out of sync on those first two drives, primarily due to holding penalties by right tackle Andrew Wylie.
On the Commanders’ first possession, Howell kept the drive alive by scrambling for eight yards on third down. Shortly afterward, Howell would throw a strike to tight end John Bates that would’ve gone for a big gain, but Bates dropped the ball. It wouldn’t have mattered as Wylie was called for holding.
On Washington’s next drive, which began inside its own five-yard line, Wylie was called for holding in the end zone, resulting in a penalty.
While the offense was initially expected to play two series, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy wasn’t pleased. He wanted to see more. So, the Commanders’ starters were back for a third series, and it went much better. Howell led an 80-yard drive that ended with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Jahan Dotson.
A good way to end the night for Howell, who completed nine of 12 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown.
What did head coach Ron Rivera see from Howell?
“Very encouraged,” Rivera said when asked about Howell after Friday’s game. “A lot of good things. 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.”
Rivera should be encouraged by Howell’s performance. The young quarterback could’ve fallen apart after the second holding penalty. He didn’t. He bounced back to have his best drive of the night.
Check out this excellent breakdown of Howell’s processing on this short completion.
Only took EB a few seconds to get to Tampa Bay. Howell’s footwork here says he read M/M alignments (correct) since Tampa is the zone side, but he reads it crisply and progresses from 1-3 without sitting on or staring down targets. Looks simple, but I really like this processing https://t.co/E2wE3MW239 pic.twitter.com/kCrdlCGyKI
— Honest NFL (@TheHonestNFL) August 12, 2023
What Washington is looking for from Howell is the little things in the preseason. This is one of those little things — and it’s encouraging.