By Adam Aniba
In his 2023 preseason debut Sam Howell displayed growth as signal caller in regards to his pocket presence and overall mechanics.
In less than two full quarters of football, Howell went 9/22 for 77 yards and 1 TD, in addition to 1 run for 8 yards.
Howell's touchdown pass was hauled in by Jahan Dotson, who continues to make touchdowns and yards after the catch look easy. In fact, the former PSU receiver led the team with 7 touchdowns in 2022, despite playing in only 12 games.
Although Terry McLaurin is the unquestioned leader of the receiving core and Howell's established college connection with former North Carolina teammate Dyami Brown has been well established, his chemistry with Dotson has been evident.
Against Cleveland on Friday night Dotson registered 2 receptions for 30 yards and 1 touchdown. His ability to get open and make acrobatic catches should lead to a big season under new OC Eric Bieniemy.
Despite the vanilla play calling in the preseason, Howell was impressive when throwing on the move and making plays when the pocket broke down.
The o-line looks to be a potential issue this season, particularly in pass pro and the second year signal caller's athleticism will be needed.
Although it's still undetermined what Bieniemy's regular offense will look like, he's sure to feature a lot of slants, crossing routes and underneath routes. Those concepts will allow for Howell's receivers to utilize their speed and athleticism after the catch.
It was only a quarter and change of play in one preseason game, but Howell showed promise and could be the franchise signal Washington has desperately been seeking.