The Commanders’ quarterback position has been in constant flux for over half a decade -- the team has used a different Week 1 starter six years in a row.
Washington’s 2023 season is destined to run that streak to seven, and wide receiver Jahan Dotson believes his newest QB1 is already a lock before training camp.
“I think we got our quarterback situation settled,” Dotson said Tuesday on The Jim Rome Show. "I think Sam Howell’s gonna be our guy. I have complete faith in him. He’s a guy who, I always say this, he makes throws look super effortless on the field.”
That jives with head coach Ron Rivera proclaiming in February that Howell would most likely begin the offseason as the club’s top quarterback, although Rivera clarified last week that a competition for that title still remains between Howell and Jacoby Brissett.
Howell, a 2022 fifth-round selection, spent most of the season on the bench behind Carson Wentz (seven starts) and Taylor Heinicke (nine starts) last year -- both of whom are no longer with the team -- but he got in on the QB carousel with his first career start in the regular-season finale.
Although he connected on just 57.9% of his 19 attempts for 169 yards, one touchdown and an interception, the team around him responded. Mired in a four-game winless streak that knocked them out of postseason contention prior to Week 18, the Howell-led Commanders still rose to the occasion with a 26-6 victory over the Cowboys, who had plenty to play for with the NFC East still in the balance.
Although Brissett comes to Washington as a proven option after making 11 starts for the 2022 Browns with 2,608 passing yards, 12 TDs and six INTs, Dotson has apparently seen enough of Howell from last season through the offseason program to stand in the younger QB’s corner.
Should Howell win the job as Dotson believes, the task at hand for the two 2022 draftees will be helping to rectify a Commanders offense that hasn't ranked better than 23rd in scoring since 2017.
The way Dotson sings Howell's praises, he'll be confident they can do just that.
“He’s a great leader,” he said regarding his QB. “He’s learning how to lead an NFL offense. He’s just learning the ropes just as we are, being in a new offense. I’m super excited for him. I can’t wait to get out there and just make plays for him and make his life and his job as easy as possible. I can’t wait for it.”