When the Washington Commanders traded for quarterback Carson Wentz this past offseason, the news sparked mixed reactions from a fanbase that’s become all too familiar with the carousel that is the search for the organization’s ‘QBX.’ Nevertheless, as with any change, excitement set in as optimism that, maybe just maybe, the 2017 near-MVP form of the former second-overall pick would emerge.
Alas, it hasn’t. And it looks like it won’t ever do so in the nation’s capital.
Now with the impending cut (or trade) of Wentz following the conclusion of the 2022 season looking increasingly likely with every Taylor Heinicke start, fans have kept one name in the back of their minds when the ugly QBX topic rears its head: Sam Howell.
Perhaps it was a stroke of genius (or luck) that facilitated the fall of the former North Carolina signal-caller — who was once deemed a first-round talent — into the lap of Ron Rivera’s coach-centric front office in the fifth round of this year’s draft just a few months after the trade for Wentz. Regardless of how it happened, the reality is that the Commanders, for the first time in quite some time, have a plan at quarterback — if properly approached and executed, of course.
And, sure, there were other times the franchise claimed it had a plan. The trade for Alex Smith ahead of the 2018 season was one. The selection of Dwayne Haskins Jr. on the first night of the 2019 draft was another. But, this time, it just feels different. It feels like everything in the most important room in the building finally looks as though it’ll fall into place.
Heinicke wins, Howell learns
As a starter in Washington, Heinicke sports a 12-9 record, including 6-1 over his last seven. Obviously, there’s been quite the discussion as to exactly how much credit he should get for those victories. In the team’s last five outings, the former Old Dominion product has completed 60.9 percent of his passes for 968 yards and just five touchdowns to four interceptions.
For fans, it drives them insane. But for Heinicke, how it looks doesn’t matter — he’s winning.
“It’s a dream come true,” Heinicke told ESPN when asked about earning the starting job over Wentz. “I take every opportunity I can get and have fun with it. Something may change in two weeks and [Wentz is] back in there. Who knows? But … [I] go out there and hopefully get a win. I feel I play my best doing that.”
Despite the success from Heinicke, there’s essentially a unanimous belief that with a notch (or two) up in production from the quarterback position, an already electric Commanders offense can be unlocked. Fortunately enough, Washington believes it already has the key within its walls.
In three years as the starter at North Carolina, Howell declared for the draft after throwing for 10,283 yards and 92 touchdowns to 23 interceptions on a 63.8-percent completion rate. Ahead of his final season, NFL pundits across the media landscape dubbed Howell as the early favorite to be the first overall selection in 2022. Instead, an underwhelming (but still highly productive) junior campaign was enough for teams to pass on him four rounds over. It was midway through the third day that Rivera and company decided to snatch Howell after losing former backup Kyle Allen in free agency to Houston.
Upon the selection, Howell called Washington “the perfect fit.” The small portion of fans that didn’t agree then surely agree now. And, yes, Heinicke wins — and for that, he deserves everybody’s respect. But when a quarterback faces arm talent limitations as he notably does, the nature of the business calls for him to defend his job constantly (hence the trade for Wentz).
This reality sets up the Commanders for what many deem a surefire win-win scenario in the coming offseason. With quarterback concerns off the radar, the front office will have the luxury of addressing more pressing needs — namely among the offensive line and secondary — while hosting an open competition for the QB1 job with the potential of simultaneously solving the QBX issue.
If Heinicke wins the job, the staff likely rolls with him until the wheels come off on a week-to-week basis (as Rivera has done so this season). If Howell wins, he’ll have earned it, which would speak volumes of his preparation and execution.
Of course, there’s a lot of dust that needs to settle between now and then, including an admirable midseason push for the playoffs that now has Washington in the driver’s seat for a wild card spot in a surprisingly strong NFC.
And while Heinicke leads this charge, Howell gets to learn Scott Turner’s offensive system, how to read pro defenses, and most importantly: how to win. For that, on top of the Dan Snyder-soon-to-sell news, Commanders fans have been counting their blessings more often than they have in the past two decades.
Brett is a Communication Arts major at Bethel College, Editor-in-Chief of The Bethel Collegian, and Newton (KS) High School football beat writer. You can reach him via email or on Twitter.