Commanders QB Sam Howell Answering Key Questions For Coach Rivera

Sam Howell's grip on the Washington Commanders' starting quarterback job appears to be strengthening. 

The Commanders had joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the second-year quarterback was impressive on both days. 

"I thought Sam did a great job," Rivera said after practice on Wednesday. "This is one of the things we talked about, how important these two days would be in our evaluation process, and there's a lot of questions we wanted answered. Yesterday's tape, I was really pleased with for not just the quarterbacks, [but] for him specifically as well."

Joint practices have become more frequent and can hold as much weight as a preseason game for some teams. Howell's performance against a Ravens defense that was third in points allowed per game last season was always going to be instrumental in the race to become Washington's starting quarterback. 

If Rivera's words are any indication, Howell passed his latest test with flying colors. 

"That's one of the things that we were hoping is that when we got out here, and the stuff was pretty close to real, see how he handled it, and he handled it well," Rivera said. "Made some really good decisions. His ball placement was really good. His decision-making was exceptionally good, and he delivered on time for the most part. 

"When he went off-platform, [and] scrambled around a little bit, his eyes were downfield. He was able to find guys, and make those kinds of throws and plays that you need to help the team keep going forward."

Along with Howell's play on the field, Rivera lauded Howell's leadership and command of the offense in the huddle and on the field. It even went beyond the field after both days of joint practices were filled with fights and players having to be separated. 

"Today was a really good indication of it because there was a lot of emotion out there," Rivera said. "He had to stay cool, remain cool and calm and exude that to his teammates to get them refocused and practice. That's probably the most important thing is you lead your guys through situations like that."

While Rivera has yet to name Washington's starting quarterback, it appears inevitable that Howell will be the man under center when the regular season begins on Sept. 10. 

The Commanders will be back in action for their second preseason game on Monday Night Football when they host the Ravens at 8:00.

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