If Sam Howell Clicks, Commanders Will Be Playoff Team in 2023
Coach Ron Rivera officially named Sam Howell the team's starting quarterback to open the Washington Commanders 2023 season on Friday. And there's real reason to believe that if Howell proves to be a capable NFL quarterback, the Commanders will be a playoff team this year.
Mind you, for as frustrating as Washington's quarterback situation was in 2022 with Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke, the Commanders still managed to win eight games. While they were the only NFC East team not to reach the postseason a year ago, it wouldn't take much for an 8-8-1 team to improve to the point where they make the playoffs in 2023.
Obviously, that starts with Howell stabilizing the quarterback position. While he had some impressive moments in a Week 18 win over the Dallas Cowboys last year, there's hardly enough evidence to make an assessment on what Howell will be as an NFL quarterback yet.
But what we will say is the supporting cast around him has a chance to be quite a bit better than many people think.
For whatever hiccups some players have had getting used to his aggressive coaching style, Eric Bieniemy is a tremendous mind that should serve as a massive upgrade over Scott Turner as offensive coordinator.
Bieniemy is inheriting receiver Terry McLaurin, who has 4,281 receiving yards in four NFL seasons, despite a musical chairs situation at quarterback. Jahan Dotson -- last year's first-round pick -- was limited to 12 games in his rookie year, but flashed enough explosiveness to intrigue you about the potential of this receiving corps if he takes a step forward in his second NFL season.
It probably wasn't fair to expect running back Brian Robinson Jr. to hit the ground running in his rookie season, given that he was shot twice in his right leg late in August. For him to even have played in 12 games in his rookie season was remarkable, With a healthy Robinson and Antonio Gibson now under Bieniemy's tutelage, the Commanders should be able to do quite a bit better than the four yards per carry they averaged a season ago, fifth-lowest in the league in that category.
Where Washington really figures to shine is defensively. Rivera, of course, comes from a defensive background, and both he and coordinator Jack Del Rio have quite a bit of talent at their disposal.
Washington's defensive line should be one of the five best in the NFL. Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen form one of the top interior defensive line duos in the sport. And coming off the edge, both Chase Young and Montez Sweat are in contract years. There's a chance that Young and Sweat each pop this year, which may make it hard to retain both beyond 2023, but would set up the Commanders to have one of the NFL's elite defenses this season.
What's more, first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes has received rave reviews this summer, and should form a strong cornerback tandem with veteran Kendall Fuller. Both will probably be helped out by a desire from quarterbacks to get the ball out quickly to avoid Washington's pass rush.
This isn't a team without questions, because despite the addition of veteran right tackle Andrew Wylie, Washington's offensive line looks underwhelming. And even if things do come together, the Commanders will have to navigate through a division where the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants all expect to make the playoffs, at a minimum.
But Washington's defensive line is so talented, and there's enough intriguing skill-position talent offensively to think that if Howell cements himself as the starter moving forward, the Commanders will return to the postseason for the first time since 2020.
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