One of the more interesting discussions of the 2022 NFL preseason has been how former North Carolina and current Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell lasted until the first overall pick in the fifth round of this draft. Howell was the sixth quarterback taken in a quarterback-light draft where only one — Pitt’s Kenny Pickett 20th overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers — was taken in the first round.
This would have seemed an impossibility after his 2019 and 2020 seasons, in which Howell combined for 68 touchdowns and just 14 interceptions. At that point, Howell looked for all the world like a lead-pipe first-round pick. But in 2021, Howell lost his two best running backs (Javonte Williams and Michael Carter) as well as his two best receivers (Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome) to the NFL.
Changes in personnel and scheme forced Howell to essentially become a running back — he carried the ball 183 times for 828 yards and 11 touchdowns — and with all that, he still completed 217 passes on 347 attempts for 3,056 yards, 24 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Howell’s numbers were down as a passer from the previous seasons, but his opportunities to attack a defense were different, and he seemed to embrace them — adding that running threat to his palette.
In his preseason debut against the Carolina Panthers on August 13, Howell got to watch doppelganger Baker Mayfield do his thing with his new NFL team, and Howell responded positively, completing nine of 16 passes for 145 yards.
Things weren’t quite as solid against the Chiefs in Week 2 — he completed 10 of 18 passes for 122 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception — so the stage was set on Saturday against the Ravens for Howell to show which version of himself he had really brought to the NFL. He answered definitively, completing 24 of 53 passes for 280 yards, his first NFL touchdown pass, and no interceptions. Howell also ran eight times for 62 yards, leading the team in rushing.
Yes, it was the third preseason game, and Howell was playing against mostly second- and third-teamers. But he was also playing with mostly second- and third-teamers, including himself. Howell probably hasn’t done enough to wrest the starting job away from Carson Wentz, nor the backup job from Taylor Heinicke, but given the YOLO tendencies both Wentz and Heinicke have shown through their careers, Howell may be on a fast track to something special in 2023 and beyond.
“It felt great,” Howell said of…
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