Is Sam Howell’s number ready to be called?
Judging from what is happening in the NFL these days, the Washington Commanders may be getting ready to give their rookie quarterback a chance, too.
Whether it’s injuries to the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott and the Patriots’ Mac Jones, or inconsistent play from the Steelers’ Mitch Trubisky, backup quarterbacks are getting on the field more than ever this season.
It may be time for the Commanders coach to live up to his nickname, Riverboat Ron Rivera, and replace the good-but-not-great Carson Wentz with his rookie from UNC, who is currently second on the depth chart. But they are almost ready to start building for the future.
Washington dropped to 1-3 Sunday with a lopsided loss to Dallas, which has become the darling of the surprising NFC East behind second-string QB Cooper Rush, a virtual no-name who is now 4-0 as a starter for the ‘Boys and may never give the job back when Prescott recovers from his injured thumb.
The Steelers replaced Trubisky, the former one-year star at UNC, with hometown favorite Kenny Pickett, who rallied the team to a late lead before losing to the Jets in the closing seconds.
The Patriots, who have lost Jones indefinitely with a high ankle sprain, nearly shocked the Packers at Lambeau Field behind third-stringer Bailey Zappe, a fourth-round rookie from Western Kentucky.
From the moment the Commanders chose Howell with the first pick of the 5th round in the 2022 NFL draft, speculation began that he would eventually replace the incumbent whose career has been riddled by injuries and inconsistency. Wentz has been in the NFL for seven years with three different teams, the Eagles, Colts and now the Commanders.
Wentz’s stats are about average in completion percentage and QB ratings but throwing interceptions has always been his problem. He threw two picks in the 25-10 loss to Dallas Sunday and finished with a below-average QB rating of 56.7. The second selection in the 2016 draft, Wentz’s career has gone downhill after a fast start with the Eagles in 2017, when he was injured after 14 games and back-up Nick Foles led Philly to a Super Bowl championship.
Howell played most of the snaps in the team’s three preseason losses, his best game against the Ravens when he completed 24 of 35 passes for 280 yards and a touchdown for a QB rating of 102.
The media covering the Commanders say Howell is a hard worker who arrives at practice early and stays late, like he did at Carolina. They all say he will be the team’s franchise quarterback, sooner or later. And sooner may be coming.
Featured image via USA Today Sports/Geoff Burke
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