The Washington Commanders players will return to the building on Wednesday, and learn who will be the quarterback for this week’s game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Coach Ron Rivera said, “We’ll see how things go,” when asked about the decision between Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett.
Howell has been the team’s starter for every game this season, but threw two interceptions and was 6-of-12 for 56 yards in a loss to the New York Jets on Sunday.
Backup Jacoby Brissett has come on in relief each of the last two weeks and nearly led the team to a comeback victory each time.
Rivera said Howell’s struggles can be chalked up, at least in part, to having taken a number of hits throughout a long season, his first as a full-time starter, and that the recent struggles don’t make the coach reconsider whether Howell can be a long-term starter in the NFL.
“No, it doesn’t,” Rivera said. “He’s got a very good body of work. Things have gone relatively well early in the season and into the middle, but it’s been tough the last couple of weeks. The last few weeks have been tough on him. And he’s taken a lot of snaps, the length of the season obviously is probably wearing on him as well, as well as the number of plays he’s had and the number of hits he’s had to absorb.
“So these are things, and like I said, these are points that are all for discussion.”
Rivera also agreed with offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s recent assessment that Howell is pressing.
“Right now, you watch him and he’s trying to make the perfect play,” Rivera said. “I think he’s reading a little bit more into some of the things that he sees out there, and I think he’s just got to settle in and trust what he’s seeing initially and stick with the offense.”
The players were not in the building Tuesday as the coaches returned to work after a day off for everybody on Christmas.
Rivera was asked if he would solicit opinions from the players, and said that he “consulted who I felt needed to be talked with.”
The Commanders also brought running back Jaret Patterson back onto the practice squad roster, to help deal with an increasing number of injuries in the backfield.
Brian Robinson Jr. and Chris Rodriguez Jr. are both injured at the moment, and their availability remains uncertain for Sunday.
Patterson is from the area and was with the team for two seasons, so he can jump right in and run the plays as needed.
“He’s very familiar with what we do, and that’s the biggest thing,” the coach said.
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