With quarterback ‘as big of question as it gets,’ Sam Howell focusing on ‘great opportunity’

ASHBURN — If you need a reminder that Sam Howell is still mostly unknown in the football world outside of the District, then take a quick look at his “Madden” rating. Electronic Arts, the company behind the popular video game, rates the Washington Commanders quarterback as a 66 on a 100-point scale for this year’s edition. 

That number may be a fair characterization of a quarterback who only has one career start. But it was low enough for Howell’s friends to repeatedly send him the rating this offseason.

“It is what it is,” Howell said. “Hopefully, it’ll be different at the end of the year.” 

The Commanders’ training camp began Wednesday with Howell in the same role that he spent in the spring — as Washington’s starting quarterback. The 22-year-old has yet to be officially handed the job, but he again took all the first-team reps as part of the Commanders’ plan to give Howell every opportunity to earn the role.

But this year, Howell isn’t just trying to impress the coaching staff and teammates. The North Carolina product also has to make an impression on new owner Josh Harris, who attended practice in his first official capacity since buying the Commanders for $6.05 billion. 

In his public remarks and his various interviews, Harris has offered little about what he thinks of Howell. Asked broadly by ESPN’s Adam Schefter about the quarterback situation, Harris said he looks forward to watching “him” — not using Howell’s name — on the field and seeing how coach Ron Rivera handles “it.” Speaking to reporters, Howell said he has yet to meet Harris aside from the owner’s brief remarks to the group after practice. Harris was scheduled to meet with the entire team later Wednesday afternoon. 

A day earlier, Rivera told reporters that he has a lot to prove this coming season. The same applies to Howell. 

“The way I look at it is it’s a great opportunity for me with the position I’m in to really compete here and be the starter this year,” Howell said. “It’s a great opportunity for me to go out there and just show what I can do. 

“I know if I go out there on the field, and play the type of football that I think I can play, then everything will speak for itself.” 

In his limited playing time last year, Howell showed enough to convince Washington’s brass to give him a chance to be this season’s starter. In a Week 18 upset of the Dallas Cowboys, Howell displayed impressive arm talent and made decisive throws. Though the quarterback only finished with 169 yards with one touchdown and an interception, Rivera said he was struck by how Howell “self-corrected” and handled the flow of the game.

Howell has continued to make progress this offseason. Coaches and teammates have praised Howell’s cleaned-up footwork and his command of new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s offense. Running back Antonio Gibson said that Howell, for instance, has “stepped up” since OTAs. “I’m excited about this year for him,” Gibson said. “I think he’ll do great.” 

Still, when asked about what his biggest question was regarding his team, Rivera pointed to the obvious: Quarterback.

Has Howell, Rivera wondered aloud, grown and developed enough for the Commanders to take the next step? And if Howell doesn’t make that stride, then would backup Jacoby Brissett be ready to go? 

“It will start with the quarterback position,” Rivera said. “That’s about as big of a question as it gets.” 

That appears to be perfectly OK with Howell. If all goes well, he said, then people will get to know him. 

At one point Wednesday, Howell was asked if he’d ever participate in Netflix’s “Quarterback,” a documentary that provided a behind-the-scenes look with Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota about what it’s like to play the position. As a signal-caller, Howell watched the show and said he thought it was “great.” 

But as for his participation? “Probably not,” he said. “Especially this season.” After all, Howell has so much to focus on — with so much to prove. He said he wasn’t concerned with outside opinions, people who can’t believe that the Commanders actually plan on riding with a player who lasted until the fifth round of the draft a year ago. 

“I know some people might think it’s crazy just because of how the draft went and I hardly played at all last year,” Howell said. “But for me, that doesn’t really change anything.”