The Washington Commanders didn’t need to see another season of Sam Howell — even as a backup quarterback — after watching him start 17 games in the 2023 season.
They didn’t need to see more of Howell because they watched him go 4-13 while leading the NFL in sacks (65) and interceptions (21).
Howell was shipped off to the Seattle Seahawks via a trade in the offseason and the Commanders moved on quickly, watching No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels become one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks as a rookie and lead the franchise to the NFC Championship Game.
After backing up Geno Smith in 2024, Howell will now back up Sam Darnold in 2025 unless he gets shipped to another team — something Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox thinks could happen as he listed Howell among his “top trade targets for QB needy teams” on March 21.
“Howell is entering the final year of his rookie contract and could be available if the Seahawks aren’t planning to keep him beyond this season,” Knox wrote. “He won’t get a chance to compete for the starting job in Seattle, but he might be a viable option elsewhere … Turning just 25 in September, Howell is another young quarterback who could be viewed as an alternative to the 2025 QB class.”
Howell Once Projected as No. 1 Overall Pick
By the time the Commanders selected Howell out of North Carolina in the fifth round (No. 144 overall) in the 2022 NFL draft, it was the end of a long, steep decline in terms of Howell’s draft stock.
Headed into the Howell’s junior season in 2021, he was projected as a potential No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft.
Howell threw for 3,641 yards, 38 touchdowns and 7 interceptions as a freshman in 2019 then threw for 3,586, 30 touchdowns and 7 interceptions as a sophomore in 2020 — he was also named All-ACC both seasons.
As a junior in 2021, Howell threw for 3,056 yards, 24 touchdowns and 9 interceptions while rushing for 828 yards and 11 touchdowns as North Carolina went 6-7. After the season, Howell announced he would leave school early to enter the NFL draft.
“(Howell’s) limitations became clear to draft experts,” The Sporting News’ David Suggs wrote in 2022. “Howell doesn’t have elite athleticism and he struggled with decision-making in his final season in Chapel Hill. At times, his release is too slow, leading to missed passes. He has a lower ceiling than some of his contemporaries, such as (Malik) Willis and (Desmond) Ridder.”
Howell Took Blame for Commanders’ Struggles in 2023
Howell spoke about what went wrong in his one season as the Commanders’ full-time starter with Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams and took responsibility for a lot of his mistakes.
“I think I could play some smarter ball. I think there were times where we were down big in some games, I was a little too aggressive just trying to make something happen trying to get us back in the game,” Howell said. “The turnovers are just way too high for what I wanted and what the team needed. I think that’s definitely something I can take from last year.”
In 2023, Howell threw for 3,946 yards and 21 touchdowns to go with 263 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns.
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