There’s a lot going on with the Washington Commanders right now. First, there’s the team sale from Daniel Snyder to Josh Harris. With NFL owners meetings set to take place this week in Minnesota, other owners and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell have spoken regarding the sale of the Commanders.
Washington also has defensive end Chase Young, Montez Sweat and left tackle Charles Leno Jr. on Tuesday, the first day of OTAs.
With all this going on, it was easy to forget that the Commanders were on the field for OTAs on Tuesday. While media was not present on Tuesday, fortunately, Zach Selby of Commanders.com was in attendance.
And in his practice reports, one thing stood out: quarterback Sam Howell.
Selby notes that, yes, while it’s early, Howell’s accuracy stands out.
Howell appeared to be in command of the offense in overcrowding and during plays, but his accuracy faltered on several occasions. He had only four incompletions combined in both the 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills: one was out of range to Brian Robinson, but the rest were drops. One of the more impressive passes was Terry McLaurin’s pass with Benjamin Saint-Just bearing down on him. Another highlight was a sideline toss to Jon Bates, who intercepted just before Jertvius Martin broke the play.
Two things here: This is what you want to see. If nothing happened to Howell and the focus was on Jacoby Brissett, there would be questions.
Secondly, it’s quick and doesn’t make any sense. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t noteworthy.
For all the criticism Washington has faced, it needed a strong off-season to give Howell a chance to start at quarterback in 2023. While Tuesday was just the first day of OTAs, it’s the start Howell needed. We’ll see when the media watches and whether or not it progresses to the team’s mandatory minicamp next month.
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