Commanders Hire Eric Bieniemy; Sam Howell Still 'Likely' Starting QB?
The Washington Commanders are one step closer towards building their team for next season, hiring two-time Super Bowl champion coach Eric Bieniemy as the new offensive coordinator.
Bieniemy has been partially responsible for the latest NFL dynasty with Patrick Mahomes at the helm, and he's leaving all of that success behind for a chance with the Commanders and ... Sam Howell?
Howell, a second-year pro who made his NFL debut in the final game of the 2022 season, has been tabbed the "likely" starting quarterback by Commanders coach Ron Rivera.
"We will go into OTA's, minicamp and training camp with Sam Howell more than likely as QB1 and we'll see what happens," Rivera said earlier this month.
While Howell has a ton of talent that a coach like Bieniemy could unlock, there's questions as to whether or not the new offensive coordinator believes in him.
The Commanders played the waiting game in their offensive coordinator search and won, signing the best potential candidate on the market. If Bieniemy didn't approve of Howell as the starter and wanted somebody else, there's a good chance Washington would accept that request.
With several veteran quarterbacks on the open market like Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo, there are probably a lot of them that view Washington as a great free agent destination now because of Bieniemy.
Bieniemy has the power to recruit his own quarterback with the skillset of his choosing to lead the Commanders. It doesn't have to be Howell or Taylor Heinicke.
This means that if Howell is still the "likely" starter, that's a very strong endorsement from one of the league's greatest offensive minds.
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