Ron Rivera praises Sam Howell
The Washington Commanders are expected to improve on offense in 2023. Commanders head coach Ron Rivera brought in Eric Bieniemy to coach the offense. Bieniemy will be tasked with getting second-year quarterback Sam Howell ready to lead a team looking to make a playoff push.
There were rumors the Commanders might be interested in bringing in veteran quarterback Lamar Jackson to be the starter. According to Kevin Patra with the NFL, Rivera said Tuesday at the League Annual Meeting the Commanders planned to build around Howell this offseason:
“The main reason we’re going with Sam is we think Sam’s going to be a good football player. We really do,” Rivera said. “If the guy had come out (in 2021), he’d have been a first- or second-round pick. We were fortunate. He fell to the fifth round because people didn’t think it was a strong class. Remember, he was the frontrunner for the Heisman that year, coming out of a season where he lost three offensive linemen to the draft, a tight end to the draft, a wide receiver, Dyami (Brown), to the draft, and two running backs.
Howell will have the chance to show the NFL world he’s a top-tier quarterback this season. The offensive side of the ball will have a chip on their shoulder next season.