Sam Howell is off to a good start.
In his first NFL preseason action for the Washington Commanders on Saturday, Howell completed 9 of 16 passes for 145 yards and no interceptions. Howell also rushed for two touchdowns (17 yards and 1 yard).
Howell said he was pleased to lead to two scores but also realized he could have done more. “I try to do what I can and execute on every single play that’s called. I think I definitely left some plays out there though and there’s some things I can improve on and build on from this game, so I just can’t wait to watch the film and get back to work.”
With the Commanders trailing 20-6, from the Carolina 17 on a 1st & 10, Howell dropped back, looked left, then took off up the middle, making a DB miss, and scored untouched. “I didn’t really see anything open, but I saw a little hole, so I just tried to tuck it, run it, and make a play. I ran the ball a lot in college, so it’s something I’m kind of used to.”
Though the North Carolina rookie QB had some success he also admitted he was surprised as well. “The speed of the game, for sure. You can see it in practice, but you can’t really see it until you get to the games. I would definitely say just the speed of the game (surprised me).”
Howell felt himself needing to get adjusted early. “I was comfortable after I completed a couple of passes, and with some of the more ‘down the field’ passes, I felt pretty comfortable with those.”
The Commanders’ fifth-round draft choice in April’s 2022 NFL draft said he definitely noticed the home team fan’s support and aspires to do well. “It’s awesome. Every opportunity I get I’m going to try to take advantage of it and do my best for this organization. That’s what they drafted me here to do, and I’m going to try and continue to get better. I’m gonna give this organization all I got.”