Sam Howell gets huge endorsement from Ron Rivera

May 6, 2022; Ashburn, Virginia, USA; Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera (R) talks with Commanders quarterback Sam Howell (14) during Washington Commanders rookie minicamp at Inova Performance Center In Ashburn, VA. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Have the Washington Commanders finally found a long-term answer at quarterback in the form of Sam Howell? Coach Ron Rivera certainly thinks so.

Rivera had extensive praise for Howell during preseason, going as far as to say the Commanders feel “very strongly” that they now have a franchise quarterback for the first time in years.

“We feel pretty comfortable, pretty good about the guy this year. We feel very strongly — I know I do — going into this season that we’ve got a guy,” Rivera said of Howell, via John Keim of ESPN. “For three seasons, I’ve always felt that I had a question mark and now it feels like, ‘OK, this is pretty good.’ I mean, I’m pretty comfortable, pretty confident and I look forward to seeing it.”

This may be coach-speak, but there is definitely a different feeling about Howell than there has been about past Washington quarterbacks. Rivera certainly did not have the same positivity about Carson Wentz, for instance.

Howell has not had much of a chance to show what he’s capable of in game action, but the Commanders are not hiding their confidence. He was particularly impressive in the Commanders’ preseason win over Baltimore, going 19-25 for 188 yards and two touchdowns while playing the entire first half. Carry those numbers into the regular season and Washington should be pretty happy, and Rivera may be proven right.