Things have not been easy for Sam Howell in his first full season as the Washington Commanders‘ starting quarterback.
Howell has the unfortunate distinction of leading the NFL in both interceptions (nine) and sacks (44) through his first nine games of the season, but that isn’t stopping him from envisioning big things for the future.
“I want to be the quarterback here for a really long time,” Howell said, via John Keim of ESPN. “But how I’m going to get to that point is taking it one day at a time. That’s the way I look at it. I never worry about the future.”
Howell, who played his collegiate football at the University of North Carolina, was selected by the Commanders in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
He made one start during his rookie campaign, going 11-for-19 with 169 yards, a touchdown and an interception in a win.
This season, he has thrown for 2,471 yards and 14 touchdowns while completing 66.6 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 89.3. He has also carried the ball 29 times for 157 yards and a score.
“We feel we have a quarterback,” said head coach Ron Rivera. “This franchise has been looking for quite some time and for the first time in a while, I think that that guy might be here.”
Of course, Rivera may not stick around long enough to actually see Howell develop into the quarterback that Washington so desperately desires, as he has gone just 26-32-1 since taking over as the franchise’s head coach back in 2020.
In fairness to Howell, he is playing behind a horrific offensive line and is on pace to be sacked 83 times this season. Former Houston Texans quarterback David Carr holds the record with 76 sacks in a single season, and Howell could be on his way to breaking that dubious mark.
That being said, Sam Howell could surely stand to get rid of the ball sooner.
The Commanders are 4-5 this season and will take on the Seattle Seahawks next Sunday.
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