Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell remains a hot topic ahead of the 2023 NFL season. Many believe the second-year passer will be the latest in a long line of Washington’s quarterback failures. Why? Well, sometimes, it’s as simple as Howell being a former fifth-round pick.
We are only half joking here. We can debate that Howell should’ve gone much higher than the fifth round in 2022, but there’s no point in doing so. Howell is a former fifth-round pick, and history isn’t on his side. But that doesn’t mean Howell can’t succeed in the NFL. He has the arm strength, accuracy, leadership and running ability to be an NFL starter.
That running ability is often underrated when discussing Howell. In his final season at North Carolina in 2021, Howell rushed for 828 yards and 11 touchdowns after passing for over 7,000 yards in his first two seasons.
In a recent episode of the “Command Center” podcast, former Washington cornerback Fred Smoot said the following about Howell:
“I think the unknown of Sam Howell is a dangerous weapon,” Smoot said. “Because defensive backfields do not know how to prepare for him. People are going to realize they cannot run two-man under against him.”
A dangerous weapon
Listen to the new episode now
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) June 29, 2023
In his lone appearance as a rookie in 2022 — a season-ending win over Dallas — Howell carried the ball five times for 35 yards and a touchdown. Check out this touchdown run:
Look at the formation Washington used on Sam Howell’s rushing touchdown. The line is loaded on the left with Sam Cosmi, Charles Leno and Chris Paul. On the right side is TE Logan Thomas.
QB option, Thomas gets a nice block and Howell runs it in. pic.twitter.com/ZtpCS9qSPj
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) January 9, 2023
You see a little bit of everything from Howell here. First, it was a nice fake; then, you see the quickness, vision and fearlessness to go against the grain and take it in for the score.
When discussing Howell, not enough is said about his ability as a runner, which adds an extra element to Washington’s offense. Howell is athletic, but he’s also thickly built to withstand some of the hits he could take by running the ball.
The Commanders should be able to run the football in 2023 with Brian Robinson Jr., Antonio Gibson and Howell.