When North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell fell to the Washington Commanders with the top pick in the fifth round of April’s NFL draft, head coach Ron Rivera couldn’t hide his excitement. Howell was a quarterback the Commanders liked throughout the pre-draft process, but the trade for Carson Wentz meant Washington would not spend a premium pick on a passer.
Howell came to an ideal situation in Washington. There was no pressure to start early in his career, so every preseason snap was critical for Howell. In each of Washington’s three preseason games, Howell showed off his arm and legs.
Howell got the start in Washington’s final preseason game and played the entire game. He completed 24 of 35 passes for 280 yards and a touchdown and led the Commanders with 62 rushing yards.
After the game, Rivera discussed Howell’s performance.
“I thought Sam played well; I thought he did a nice job,” Rivera said.
The best thing about the preseason is situational football. While the games aren’t official in the standings, the specific situations are critical in the development of young players. One example of situational football is the two-minute drill, something Howell faced in each of his three games.
Rivera came away impressed.
“It was very important for us to really get a chance to evaluate the young quarterback,” Rivera said. “He has a very bright future in this league. He has a lot of growing to do. I know [OC] Scott [Turner] and [QB coach] Ken [Zampese] will go through this with a fine-tooth comb and emphasize the things that he could have done better. He was exciting to watch, he made some really good decisions, and he made some decisions that could have been better. He did a nice job.”
Sure, the Commanders didn’t win a preseason game, but their rookie quarterback played almost eight full quarters of live football. That type of experience is invaluable to a young quarterback.