Commanders QB Sam Howell named starter for Week 1 vs. Cardinals

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Coach Ron Rivera has named Sam Howell the Washington Commanders’ starting quarterback, making the North Carolina product the latest in a revolving door of players at the position for the organization in recent years.

Veteran Jacoby Brissett is set to back up Howell on Sept. 10 when Washington hosts Arizona — the first regular-season game since the new ownership group led by Josh Harris took over. The team signed Brissett this offseason to compete with Howell.

Rivera announced the decision Friday morning before practice after deliberating with new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard.

Howell, if he remains healthy until then, would become Washington’s seventh different season-opening starter in as many years.

“(It’s) what we talked about, and that was seeing the growth and improvement from OTAs and minicamp,” Rivera said. “Then talked about going into training camp and continuing to grow and show us what he’s capable of.

“We’ve been very pleased with it to the point where I decided yesterday that we were going to name him the starter going into the regular season.”

Rivera and the Commanders planned to give Howell this opportunity after the 2022 fifth-round pick impressed in his NFL debut in the final week of the 2022 season. Howell also went 9 of 12 for 77 yards and a touchdown in the exhibition opener last week at Cleveland and has showed progress over the course of training camp.

“He sees the field really well, and he’s going to give us chance to make opportunities on the perimeter,” top receiver Terry McLaurin said this week. “He’s been the same guy since we started camp, since he stepped in at the last game last year. He’s just really poised.”

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