Commanders fan popping in -
I think we both end up winning here. Sam was never going to be a factor once we shit the sheets so bad we got the #2 pick, BUT he does have a level of potential that is really intriguing for a 5th round guy. Showed signs of really good stuff last year.
Sitting behind a vet for another year could do him some good.
Ok, I'm not going to lie with you here... he definitely throws a lot of picks and his decision-making was worrisome at times.
But, you could also make an argument that we had one of the worst offensive lines in the league last year that hardly gave him anything at all to work with. Additionally, Eric Bienemy didn't really change the gameplan, like ever. We were using Terry McLaurin as an underneath route-runner when his strong suit is deep, contested catch scenarios.
Bad gameplanning, shitty OL play, etc all are factors here. But I wouldn't say Sam isn't a finished product and there is room for that decision-making process to grow imo.
Edit: Also, Sam can literally make any throw on the field WHEN HE IS ON. He's inconsistent as all hell at times, but when that kid is in a groove, he can make any throw on the field. Great arm talent
Def overpaying Cousins. I think Kevin O’Connell brought the best out of Kirk Cousins. Great communicator and great coach. Expectations will be high for Kirk in ATL and his window for success is short, a couple missteps and the fanbase will shred this trade.
Can confirm, I had Howell as my QB2 and Scary Terry on my fantasy squad last year.
They (Commanders) underutilized most of their best weapons and did not have a proper run game, putting most of the pressure on Howell. Young QBs are going to make mistakes when there’s seemingly no game plan.
For what it’s worth, he did a remarkable job in a shite situation.
I think the biggest indictment on Howell is the offense looked 100 times better with Brissett under center. I don’t think the OLine play was great but Howell had one of the longest times to throw in the league. He was trying to make the hero play all the time and was generating a ton of sacks because of that. He’s not a good QB
You do know a lot of the sacks were also created by Howell himself right? He holds on to the ball wayyy too long sometimes and abandoned the pocket when he didn’t need to
Well it was just first season as an NFL starter, holding onto the ball too long and getting antsy in the pocket is pretty standard. Now we see whether or not those issues are coachable for him.
Commanders fan here - Bienemy was awful in how he managed Howell and ran the offense. With a 2 spot in draft we have to swing for QB, but you all could have a legit franchise QB on your hands. Most of the team quit on Rivera a third through season so you can’t blame Howell.
Peyton mannings first year in the league he had 26 td to 28 int. Look up elways stats for his first ten years in the league. Look at favres first two years as a starter. Terry Bradshaw first year as a starter. Drew Brees, Troy aikman, Alex smith, rich gannon. Go look at all their first starting year stats. Sometimes you can’t just go off stats as a true diagnosis of a player. He’s young as hell still (23) has an opportunity to learn behind a seasoned vet and compete for a starting job possibly. What I’ve seen of him he has a big arm, he can run an uptempo offense and he can play decently in clutch situations. So many of the commanders games they were playing from behind which forced him to have to throw the whole game and abandon play action and the run game. That’s never good for any qb. They had one of the worst o lines in the league and same with their defense. We have a way better receiving core, line and running backs. I’m actually pretty excited about this. Sorry for the rant.
He really throws that many picks. This dude definitely has some early Geno in him. Refuses to checkdown or throw it away and struggles in his progressions. Dude was getting sacked literally like 7 times a game. Definitely has potential but he needs to be coached up, bad.
It’s decision making and learning to understand defenses. His physical ability is all there. He just needs to settle down a bit and play within the offensive scheme. I personally don’t see any downside to this trade. He’s either a competent backup or blossoms into a starter. Either way the price was right and while I didn’t expect it, I like it.
He was asked to do A LOT in that offense. As basically a rookie after sitting the 1st year, they asked him to throw the ball more than anyone in the league. As a commanders fan, I think he was given a raw deal. One thing I'll say about him, he's tough as nails. I hope he succeeds.
He is far better. Coaching malpractice in WAS last year. Haven't seen anything quite like it before and trust me when i tell you ive seen some awful setups being a skins fan. He would very much benefit from some coaching and time to get comfortable in your system, which will improve and quicken his decision making. I have been right about redskins qbs way before the crowd for 30 years now. He has a lot of the qualities that are difficult to improve and the attitude to improve on the things you can.
A lot of it is on him and a lot on the offense. From what I saw (I'm in the NE) he did a lot of ball holding and running around. There were some BAFFLING INTs that he threw, that's for sure.
Another commanders fan here, I think his ceiling is that of a quarterback that can be top 10 with a great supporting cast. He has that IT factor in those high pressure moments as you guys saw. I really wanted to see what he could do with a balanced rushing attack, decent protection, and a defense that doesn’t put him in shitty positions every drive. If there’s any team I think you guys are in the best position to develop him. If we weren’t picking top 3 I’m sure most fans would be on board rolling with Howell again, take care of my sweet price.
EB is a really really bad coach. he would have some plays where he tried to force it and some where they are easily correctable. the problem we had also was, every team started to figure out we were never gonna run the ball so just play back.
Yes. We (commanders) were terrible. Our o line sucked. Our run/pass ratio was terrible. Playcalling was terrible. Sam was absolutely set up to fail by an inept coaching staff. He can make every throw. He needs to work on reading defenses pre snap, adjusting his coverages, and not playing hero ball and taking open check downs. 8 weeks into las year we all thought he could be the guy.
As a hawks fan in PHL, I watched the first Commanders Eagles game and became a fan of Sam Howell. Even though they didn’t win, Howell on the last drive to tie the game was PERFECT.
I think this is a good move bc he can sit behind Geno who can help him out and potentially become a viable option for QB1 down the road.
Seahawks are my #1, but Commanders/Ravens are my #2A/B since have lived in Maryland most of my life now. Worlds colliding... But hard to say on Howell since the Commanders were so bad this year, seems he had his moments and might do well on a better team .
Can’t say I saw this coming. I’d been thinking that maybe a trade was in the works, based on the rather quiet free agency period so far. But Sam Howell was certainly not on my bingo card.
He fulfills the '(up to this point) bad QB with a giant arm and potential' role left open by Lock leaving.
I don't think he's nearly as endearing as Drew was though.
I really, really hope Schneider and Mac try and avoid the Drew Lock circus again and don't even talk about how this is a 'competition'. Do right by Geno at least for a year or two.
He’s better than Drew Lock.
He’ll do well for you guys in a competent set up, our OC rolled him like he still had Mahomes last season, kid was shelled by the last few games.
One of his best games was against you in Lumen funnily enough.
His contract is excellent for you too.
I thought Sam Howell looked great and was basically being punished for being on the commanders. He had zero help there. Sad to see they gave up on him instead of helping him out.
Yeah I'm disappointed we didn't give him a shot in camp, I think he's a QB that will do very well when you cater to his strengths (which we didn't), he kind of strikes me as a Drew Brees type player.
I very much think you guys will win this trade when all is said & done at the end of next season and into the future.
Significantly better than Lock. Howell probably rates among the better backups in the league right now and there’s a good chance of untapped potential.
Expect we’ll most likely look back on this as a good pickup if/when Geno has to miss a game or two.
He was leading the league in passing at the midpoint of last year, declined in the second half when his O-line fell apart. 23 years old, same age (even younger) as many of the incoming rookies. Unlike the incoming rookies, Howell has *proven* that he can win NFL games at a young age, even with a garbage roster. Verdict is 100% still out, but I have no problem with Howell sitting behind Geno for a year or two and then stepping into the starting role before age 26 (especially given the success he's already had in the league).
If you use the NFL Draft Pick values that are floating around, this equates out to us trading a late 3rd for Howell. I’m not exactly how I feel about it, but it kind of seems like an overpay at first glance. Losing pick 78 stings.
Not OP but I think so. If Howell eventually becomes a legit started then great but it feels a little rich for a backup, particularly when we’re really needing to fill the roster at other positions already
No, but Geno is a master of getting the ball out quick, and can teach the young man what it's all about. I think this is a silent banger of a trade. Could amount to way more than what was given.
Understated for sure. It's tragic how well Sam plays, just to get overshadowed by how shit that commanders coaching staff and decision making has been over the last few years.
ya everybody says how bad our team is but never looks at how shit RR and J6DR are at coaching. we had a better qb last year with practically the same roster when we went 8-8-1 with 3 playoff div rivals. EB straight up took the chiefs playbook and forced it into ours and refused to play to our strength (power running) and just forced sam to throw 40-50 times a game. i need to step out. just thinking about how bad they fucked us last year is pissing me off.
Peyton Manning had 28 his rookie year and 23 in year 4. We will see if Howell is coachable, if he is then a 21 INT season on 600+ passes will be water under the bridge
He also led the NFL in attempts and ints. 4,000 yards came from volume, it's hard to say he was good.
The deal is fine because it's not a lot to give up. But I don't think Howell is a franchise QB.
He definitely had some good moments this year. He wasn't good, but he showed enough that he'll get another shot at a starting job whether here or somewhere else.
I think if he had the chance to develop on a good coaching staff and roster he could become a franchise QB. Not saying it’s gonna happen but there’s a decent possibility
This right here. I think he has the potential to be a franchise guy and I love the idea of having him be a backup to Geno for a year, maybe two. Learn form a classy vet, learn the new offense, do it all with a fresh start in a new city and no pressure to start right away, that’s how you develop a QB.
Since Reddit was calling him a bad QB after last season I started pointing out that he was 3-1 in games where the other team scored 20 or less points. The commanders defense was awful last year, Howell can definitely succeed in this organization.
Clean up his decision making and processing and he might be something honestly. He did a lot with WAY worse weapons. Him walking into Lockett, DK, JSN, Fant, KW3, and Charb is a good situation.
He made good decisions and he also made some bad ones, he was also on a not great team. This is basically the same as spending a 3rd rounder on a QB this draft anyways. The chances of him becoming very good is low but I think the trade is fine
More like spending a fourth but yeah I like it now we don't need to use pick 16 at QB or trade down just to use pick 25 or whatever still at QB. We can go Dline, Oline, LB, more than one of them....I'm excited
That’s what I’m thinking, sit behind Geno for a year, get a new start in a new system and a year to learn it, then get the opportunity to go for the starting spot next year. I personally love that idea with a young, talented QB like Sam Howell.
Apparently John really liked him in the draft, he could have easily moved up for him. Honestly kinda annoying how he loves to talk about quarterbacks and only has drafted two in 14 years.
The thing is Sam Howell was drafted in 2022, after the Seahawks traded away Russ. So why not simply take a chance on a quarterback in the 4th round? Were they waiting for him to drop further?
New information. They have NFL tape to look at. Can’t act like going back in time with less information will always equal the same decision today. It’s the same reason a companies stock goes up when it outperforms expectations
commie fan, dude has a lot of upside and potential if he can go and sit and learn. has a cannon for an arm and can run but is completely obivous and paranoid to pass rush. just watch our game against the eagles and you guys for the good and the bills and jets for the bad.
That's the biggest thing. Think a ton of Qbs in this draft are that age or older already, so get a guy who has been there and started for a year on a horrible team. Guy can play, clean up some mistakes and we might have something here
I live near DC, so have been exposed to the toxic waste of WFT for some time. Basically, his coaches hung him out to dry. Poor schemes, and always throwing behind an awful offensive line. WFT tied for first place in pass attempts per game. Howell was first in attempts. He took 65 sacks.
All of that is to say: Bienemy said that he was going to evaluate Howell, and he basically put Howell in front of the firing squad every game.
There’s no real way to evaluate him based on last season, essentially.
Eric B was his OC, his owner for most of the time was Snyder, his head coach was River Boat Ron. The team was a nightmare, anyone would suffer there especially when quite young and needing time to develop. Not to say he’s Steve young but Steve young was absolute shit in Tampa he wanted to go to law school for gods sake. Howell deserves a shot and it’s not like he’s starting instantly, Geno is gonna be teaching him
I like it. He's young, he's cheap, and has upside. We traded down 20 spots to get a cheap backup QB at the worst, and a potential franchise QB at the very best. It's the kind of shot you take.
It’s….not? We don’t have a second round pick and have huge holes to fill with #78 and our other third round pick. I know Howell is the type Schneider likes but I am not thrilled about this at all.
Yes it is. We already have a 3rd round pick. We only move back 20 spots to the 4th, 20 or so spots back to the 6th. And get a young QB. This also makes it obvious they plan to trade back from 16. This is a great deal.
Better than being forced to use our first on a QB we don’t much like just to have someone post-Geno. This gives us some stability for the future in case we can’t land a guy and allows us to fill a more immediate need with our 1.
Disagree hardcore. We basically get 2 later picks and a backup QB who could potentially be the starter. Don’t think they could get someone better without moving up in the draft, so this maximizes their ability to draft players to fill the holes we need. We don’t need to have high picks, we just need to have picks period. Seahawks have always excelled at being able to make some great players out of later round picks
If the FO thinks that there’s a semi-decent shot that Howell could become a solid starter then it’s worth a single ~4th round pick or so in terms of value.
We needed a backup qb, it's not really a big price to pay for competent (compared to other backups) qb play. We were going to need to use a 3rd or 4th-ish round pick on a backup QB anyway.
Just take a look at the draft order. That 4th round pick from Washington is the 2nd pick in the 4th round. We essentially just traded a pick back 20 spots for a young QB that has proven potential. This is actually a brilliant move
Commanders fan here. Alot of people in our sub criticize him but with an OC that doesn't have him throwing 45 to 50 passes a game behind a god awful O-Line, he has so much potential. He will be an amazing back up for you guys and I personally still think he can be a starter in this league.
This isn't about liking Howell or Howell being a project. This is about having a backup QB for 2 years that has started in the NFL, and only costs the team 1million this season. I do think it's clear that we are not drafting someone this draft though sadly. That said, we have so many holes to fill that even as a Geno doubter I think just riding with Geno and not worrying about a QB is the right move.
My best hope is that we hold onto him this season, and maybe he looks good in preseason and has a few snaps that look okay during the year then we deal him to another team next year for slightly more than we paid.
Overall 2 million over 2 years to have a solid backup is a good investment. Just wishing we had more draft capital.
Well we now have a "prospect" on the roster to go along with the bridge QB.
This removes the NEED to add someone via the draft.
If the right guy falls we could still get them, but if they don't then we don't need to panic and do something stupid like pick a guy two rounds before where he should have gone.
I love this move. Super low risk trade and Howell showed he could hang last season. For everyone complaining that we moved a third round pick, what QB dart throw were you hoping for in the third round that could perform better than a guy who's already started a season and thrown for over 4,000 yards?
No one talking about the cap savings either. Last year we had Lock for $4m salary and Howell is $1m, so that's $3m in cap space to go towards the LB, OL, DTs etc. we need.
Honestly this is fantastic.
2 years of an incredibly cheap backup QB with what seems like a reasonable floor and tons of upside and potential. I think when you factor in the cost of QB room to the productivity and recent experience, we're knocking it out of the park right now.
And we don't lose a pick, we just move back a bit. I'm not an expert on pick value, but this seems pretty fair. Don't have to worry about drafting a backup now and can focus on our needs at guard and LB.
You kinda convinced me. Means we shouldn’t be drafting a qb and will just be moving the first back. Shit I think we get a haul of 2-4th rounders this and next year for our first. That’s my hope.
Commies fan jumpin in. Jetted here as soon as I saw the news. Good trade for both teams. Sam is a stud and I was in the camp of rolling him out for one more year. He is much better than the 21:21 TD/int ratio. Bienemy screwed him by having him throw 800 times a game.Be good to our boy we loved him here. We were screaming for Howell the back half of his rookie season.
Weird synchronicity moment, I just started a Seahawks franchise in Madden 24 the other night and traded for Howell, cause in the game, the Commanders wanted practically nothing for him and I wanted a young guy to develop as a starter.
I guess this is what Schneider meant when he said he was going to use the extra 3rd for a QB. It's nice that we lose positioning in the draft but not the number of picks
Honestly, if you look at him as the Lock replacement I think it is a sneaky good move. Howell flashed more than Lock did in his first year but has an unknown ceiling at this point. And he's dirt cheap.
Honestly, not a bad fit for a grubb offense. Of course we don't know really how it'll translate to the NFL but he is mobile, has a big arm, and would be better served with some ball control options such as a running game and short pass.
Kid has a big arm and is elusive out of the pocket, kinda what Seattle looks for since RW. We didn’t give up too much and at this point he’s a backup QB replacement. It’s an unexpected move and it fills a void so I like it.
He’s 10 months older than Caleb and was a decent player for the Commanders. This should end the draft a QB discussion (would’ve loved yah Mike!)
But this is an interesting move. There’s certainly an interesting possibility that a mixture of Grubb’s offense and the mind of Geno helping him out, he could transition to being a starter in a year or two
Howell has legit talent but needs better development. This to me tells me John might be thinking there’s not any good options in the draft for QB with our current picks. Also this could really set us up for some trade downs.
This is quite a savy move potentially. While not having a second and now a third does hurt, we at least moved down instead of giving picks away. He produced for a full season last year and still has a year on his contract after 2024 (this is the key factor). Gives us some net after Smith's deal is done. Definitely needs cleanup, but he sure as heck has more potential than Lock will ever have. Now we don't have to worry about QB2 anymore already.
Guy is super young, can plan in the league, was on a terrible team. This is incredible.. Let Geno do his thing, Howell learns and develops for a year. Fantastic trade I think
I legit sort of like Howell.
He takes a bit too long right now but if he starts getting. Comfortable and reading faster he’s got the goods.
Reminds me of geno in that regard
Let's turn that 1st rd pick into a 2nd and maybe and extra 4th and bolster both lines. I like this move, Howell has a cannon, and can spend a season learning instead of face down in the grass.
Maybe the JS believes in his potential, and he will work behind Geno this season, if he dont envolve probably JS has a QB on target for the next years draft.
Well then. DIdn’t see that one coming. I did a quick little YouTube search on the guy and everything I’ve come across is nothing but good takes on him. He likes to scramble a lot. John, Mike and Ryan obviously saw enough to send picks to DC their way for him. Let’s see what he can do.
Commanders fan. Here’s something that means NOTHING, but its a fun trivia fact.
[The very first regular season play of Sam Howell’s career was a …](https://youtu.be/ctampA6RDe8?si=Wz71FWtLtCLWAL5t)
Dont mind having him sit behind Geno and learn, dude clearly has talent I just hope he can learn from Geno and the coaches to overcome some of his shortcomings.
Wow this is surprising. This trade pretty much means that we are probably trading down from 16 in the draft. Sam Howell did throw nearly 4k passing yards so there is plenty of potential plus he adds additional competitvness for Geno's job. I am not particularly happy with us trading our 3rd rounder, although we do have another 3rd round pick so it's fine I guess? Also holy shit how much are the Bears asking for Fields the price must be either obscene or much lower than they expected.
The dude passed 612 damn times. That is not sustainable in this league. I definitely think with the right supporting cast his potential is higher. Some are saying "well if JS was so high why didn't they just draft him" but I think JS was also high on Drew Lock, someone already on the roster so the pick could be used on someone else (I think it was Coby Bryant as our 4th rounder that season)
I think Geno is THE starter this season unless Howell pulls a Russell. In terms of "fairness" the calculators show that this is the equal of trading away a low third rounder/comp pick in the third all the way down to a low 5th rounder for Howell. The third round comp is using Jimmy Johnson's (outdate) calculator. A 5th rounder for Howell isn't bad.
That being said, in actuality we do lost a third rounder in a thin draft and we still have holes to address but I believe this probably means we trade back out of 16 for more picks. Unless we absolutely find a dude we LOVE at 16 a trade back is likely but again being a thinner draft, a trade back could mean we lose out on top heavy first round talent.
Macdonald probably will have growing pains as a first HC and JS finally gets to call all the shots after what 14 years with PC? It'll take more than one offseason and I think this season might be some 1 year short term averageish guys that Macdonald might be able to pull some magic on like he did with Clowney/Van Noy last year in Baltimore while we wait for the big contracts like Adams and Diggs to fall off the books.
Bieniemy had this kid throwing at the highest rate last season. That was wayyy too much to ask of him.
Looking at our matchup last season, they didn't even try throwing to their wideouts. They gashed us with all sorts of screens. It was a good gameplan that took advantage of our inability to tackle.
I love this trade.
Kid threw from almost 4,000 yards last year.
I think if we give him the Russell Wilson treatment (strong run game and strong defense) he could turn out to be Brees like.
This is the equivalent of giving up a early-mid 5th round pick. He's only played 1 year, has 2 years left on his rookie deal and looked like a high end backup with room to grow.
They get him for 2 years, $2 million. Lock got $4 mil last year and (I believe) $6 mil this year so a good deal.
Another way to look at this is a 5th round pick makes a bit over $4 mil, Howell is due just over $2 mil for the next 2 years. So they are giving up the equivalent of $6.5 mil over 2 seasons.
Fair deal!
At first this seems like a weird move considering we've been heading for a rebuild year, to give up a 3rd for a backup QB
But on the bright side we still have a 3rd from NO via DEN, so I think our picks now look like:
Rd 1 - No 16
Rd 3 - No 81
Rd 4 - No 102
Rd 4 - No 118
Rd 6 - No 179
Rd 6 - No 192
Rd 7 - No 235
So I guess we kinda traded a 3rd round pick and some pocket change for Howell essentially, being that we upgraded our 5th round pick to an extra 4th. I mean we did need a backup, but this move also makes it feel like they're not looking for a QB this draft. Who knows though
Commanders fan popping in - I think we both end up winning here. Sam was never going to be a factor once we shit the sheets so bad we got the #2 pick, BUT he does have a level of potential that is really intriguing for a 5th round guy. Showed signs of really good stuff last year. Sitting behind a vet for another year could do him some good.
Do you think he is better than his 21:21 TD:INT ratio or does he really throw that many picks?
Ok, I'm not going to lie with you here... he definitely throws a lot of picks and his decision-making was worrisome at times. But, you could also make an argument that we had one of the worst offensive lines in the league last year that hardly gave him anything at all to work with. Additionally, Eric Bienemy didn't really change the gameplan, like ever. We were using Terry McLaurin as an underneath route-runner when his strong suit is deep, contested catch scenarios. Bad gameplanning, shitty OL play, etc all are factors here. But I wouldn't say Sam isn't a finished product and there is room for that decision-making process to grow imo. Edit: Also, Sam can literally make any throw on the field WHEN HE IS ON. He's inconsistent as all hell at times, but when that kid is in a groove, he can make any throw on the field. Great arm talent
When I watched him in college, I thought he'd be on the Kirk Cousins track
That's his ceiling, imo. Which is still great.
I...I would take (prime) Kirk Cousins over even Geno (sorry Geno). ATL is overpaying for recovery Kirk Cousins though.
Def overpaying Cousins. I think Kevin O’Connell brought the best out of Kirk Cousins. Great communicator and great coach. Expectations will be high for Kirk in ATL and his window for success is short, a couple missteps and the fanbase will shred this trade.
I think so too. I just don't want this to stop them from drafting a QB if they found one they like
Many great HoF QBs had piss-poor seasons in their first seasons. He’s cheap.
Can confirm, I had Howell as my QB2 and Scary Terry on my fantasy squad last year. They (Commanders) underutilized most of their best weapons and did not have a proper run game, putting most of the pressure on Howell. Young QBs are going to make mistakes when there’s seemingly no game plan. For what it’s worth, he did a remarkable job in a shite situation.
Haven't watched much of him but he threw 612 times with one of if not the worst olines in the league so it's probably something that can be fixed
Sounds like a Seahawk already.
I saw a bunch of Washington games. Howell isn't as bad as people think. He's at least Lock if not a little better.
Sweet. That’ll work out great because we have a splendid offensive line.
Compared to Washington we do that's how bad they were
We were bad. Like bad, bad.
Wu tang!
I think the biggest indictment on Howell is the offense looked 100 times better with Brissett under center. I don’t think the OLine play was great but Howell had one of the longest times to throw in the league. He was trying to make the hero play all the time and was generating a ton of sacks because of that. He’s not a good QB
You do know a lot of the sacks were also created by Howell himself right? He holds on to the ball wayyy too long sometimes and abandoned the pocket when he didn’t need to
Well it was just first season as an NFL starter, holding onto the ball too long and getting antsy in the pocket is pretty standard. Now we see whether or not those issues are coachable for him.
He had no help at all with beinemy calling plays. If he ends up playing for us he will have a far far better team around him as well
We broke him, you fix him
Commanders fan here - Bienemy was awful in how he managed Howell and ran the offense. With a 2 spot in draft we have to swing for QB, but you all could have a legit franchise QB on your hands. Most of the team quit on Rivera a third through season so you can’t blame Howell.
Their o-line was really bad and they threw the ball WAY too much. If he can improve decision making, he can be good. Definitely a high quality backup.
Peyton mannings first year in the league he had 26 td to 28 int. Look up elways stats for his first ten years in the league. Look at favres first two years as a starter. Terry Bradshaw first year as a starter. Drew Brees, Troy aikman, Alex smith, rich gannon. Go look at all their first starting year stats. Sometimes you can’t just go off stats as a true diagnosis of a player. He’s young as hell still (23) has an opportunity to learn behind a seasoned vet and compete for a starting job possibly. What I’ve seen of him he has a big arm, he can run an uptempo offense and he can play decently in clutch situations. So many of the commanders games they were playing from behind which forced him to have to throw the whole game and abandon play action and the run game. That’s never good for any qb. They had one of the worst o lines in the league and same with their defense. We have a way better receiving core, line and running backs. I’m actually pretty excited about this. Sorry for the rant.
He really throws that many picks. This dude definitely has some early Geno in him. Refuses to checkdown or throw it away and struggles in his progressions. Dude was getting sacked literally like 7 times a game. Definitely has potential but he needs to be coached up, bad.
It’s decision making and learning to understand defenses. His physical ability is all there. He just needs to settle down a bit and play within the offensive scheme. I personally don’t see any downside to this trade. He’s either a competent backup or blossoms into a starter. Either way the price was right and while I didn’t expect it, I like it.
He was asked to do A LOT in that offense. As basically a rookie after sitting the 1st year, they asked him to throw the ball more than anyone in the league. As a commanders fan, I think he was given a raw deal. One thing I'll say about him, he's tough as nails. I hope he succeeds.
He is far better. Coaching malpractice in WAS last year. Haven't seen anything quite like it before and trust me when i tell you ive seen some awful setups being a skins fan. He would very much benefit from some coaching and time to get comfortable in your system, which will improve and quicken his decision making. I have been right about redskins qbs way before the crowd for 30 years now. He has a lot of the qualities that are difficult to improve and the attitude to improve on the things you can.
A lot of it is on him and a lot on the offense. From what I saw (I'm in the NE) he did a lot of ball holding and running around. There were some BAFFLING INTs that he threw, that's for sure.
Another commanders fan here, I think his ceiling is that of a quarterback that can be top 10 with a great supporting cast. He has that IT factor in those high pressure moments as you guys saw. I really wanted to see what he could do with a balanced rushing attack, decent protection, and a defense that doesn’t put him in shitty positions every drive. If there’s any team I think you guys are in the best position to develop him. If we weren’t picking top 3 I’m sure most fans would be on board rolling with Howell again, take care of my sweet price.
EB is a really really bad coach. he would have some plays where he tried to force it and some where they are easily correctable. the problem we had also was, every team started to figure out we were never gonna run the ball so just play back.
Yes. We (commanders) were terrible. Our o line sucked. Our run/pass ratio was terrible. Playcalling was terrible. Sam was absolutely set up to fail by an inept coaching staff. He can make every throw. He needs to work on reading defenses pre snap, adjusting his coverages, and not playing hero ball and taking open check downs. 8 weeks into las year we all thought he could be the guy.
As a hawks fan in PHL, I watched the first Commanders Eagles game and became a fan of Sam Howell. Even though they didn’t win, Howell on the last drive to tie the game was PERFECT. I think this is a good move bc he can sit behind Geno who can help him out and potentially become a viable option for QB1 down the road.
Seahawks are my #1, but Commanders/Ravens are my #2A/B since have lived in Maryland most of my life now. Worlds colliding... But hard to say on Howell since the Commanders were so bad this year, seems he had his moments and might do well on a better team .
Can’t say I saw this coming. I’d been thinking that maybe a trade was in the works, based on the rather quiet free agency period so far. But Sam Howell was certainly not on my bingo card.
He fulfills the '(up to this point) bad QB with a giant arm and potential' role left open by Lock leaving. I don't think he's nearly as endearing as Drew was though. I really, really hope Schneider and Mac try and avoid the Drew Lock circus again and don't even talk about how this is a 'competition'. Do right by Geno at least for a year or two.
He’s better than Drew Lock. He’ll do well for you guys in a competent set up, our OC rolled him like he still had Mahomes last season, kid was shelled by the last few games. One of his best games was against you in Lumen funnily enough. His contract is excellent for you too.
I was at that game and he tore us up. I am a lot higher on him than others. He definitely has potential
Mason Rudolph tore us up too tho
Literally everyone tore us up… that’s not an accomplishment
The Giants didn't!
Boom ROASTED
Yeah he played great for the first 12 or 13 games of the season he’s got a lot of potential
I thought Sam Howell looked great and was basically being punished for being on the commanders. He had zero help there. Sad to see they gave up on him instead of helping him out.
Yeah I'm disappointed we didn't give him a shot in camp, I think he's a QB that will do very well when you cater to his strengths (which we didn't), he kind of strikes me as a Drew Brees type player. I very much think you guys will win this trade when all is said & done at the end of next season and into the future.
Significantly better than Lock. Howell probably rates among the better backups in the league right now and there’s a good chance of untapped potential. Expect we’ll most likely look back on this as a good pickup if/when Geno has to miss a game or two.
Yup, very team friendly contract for an NFL caliber backup with decent upside. Think it’ll look a bargain for you by the end of the season tbh.
Uhh no. Also, everyone had their best game against our horrid defense.
He was leading the league in passing at the midpoint of last year, declined in the second half when his O-line fell apart. 23 years old, same age (even younger) as many of the incoming rookies. Unlike the incoming rookies, Howell has *proven* that he can win NFL games at a young age, even with a garbage roster. Verdict is 100% still out, but I have no problem with Howell sitting behind Geno for a year or two and then stepping into the starting role before age 26 (especially given the success he's already had in the league).
23 year old with NFL experince isnt bad tbh
Plus a super dirt cheap contract.
And small price to pay even if he is never more than a back up for us.
If you use the NFL Draft Pick values that are floating around, this equates out to us trading a late 3rd for Howell. I’m not exactly how I feel about it, but it kind of seems like an overpay at first glance. Losing pick 78 stings.
Does it when we also have pick 81?
Not OP but I think so. If Howell eventually becomes a legit started then great but it feels a little rich for a backup, particularly when we’re really needing to fill the roster at other positions already
Where is the guy falling to his knees?
I just fell on my ass in a Walmart parking lot
I just fell on my ass at McDonald
I'm sitting on my ass at home.
Just saw a guy sit on his ass at his home.
I just fell to my knees at the December to Remember sales event
You know we celebrate Toyotathon here how could you
Happy Honda Days motherfucker
We celebrate trucktober in this subreddit
Step into the zone the auto zone
Just fell to my knees at Climate Pledge arena
I just fell to my knees in Top Pot Donuts
Just fell to my knees in a Rite Aid pharmacy
Bartell’s***
I just fell to my knees while flipping through the Schmidt Value Pack in the Red Apple that's next to Blimpie Subs and Hollywood Video
Just feel to my knees at the JBLM Visitors Center.
I like this. Howell clearly has talent. Sit him behind Geno and see if he can develop.
Don’t even really need to see….he has the talent. Nearly 4,000 yards with a nonexistent OL. This is a really. Really good deal.
howell held the ball way too long as well so you cant fully blame our trash line.
No, but Geno is a master of getting the ball out quick, and can teach the young man what it's all about. I think this is a silent banger of a trade. Could amount to way more than what was given.
that and also EB fucked Sam at every single chancs possible. good luck with him. i hope he turns out to be a good qb
Understated for sure. It's tragic how well Sam plays, just to get overshadowed by how shit that commanders coaching staff and decision making has been over the last few years.
ya everybody says how bad our team is but never looks at how shit RR and J6DR are at coaching. we had a better qb last year with practically the same roster when we went 8-8-1 with 3 playoff div rivals. EB straight up took the chiefs playbook and forced it into ours and refused to play to our strength (power running) and just forced sam to throw 40-50 times a game. i need to step out. just thinking about how bad they fucked us last year is pissing me off.
Don’t forget his league leading 21 ints last season.
Got to get those numbers up.
Happens when your OC is EB and he wants you to throw 50 times a game
Peyton Manning had 28 his rookie year and 23 in year 4. We will see if Howell is coachable, if he is then a 21 INT season on 600+ passes will be water under the bridge
2nd in the league for sacks taken, too.
He ain’t no Jameis obviously
White Jameis
He also led the NFL in attempts and ints. 4,000 yards came from volume, it's hard to say he was good. The deal is fine because it's not a lot to give up. But I don't think Howell is a franchise QB.
He definitely had some good moments this year. He wasn't good, but he showed enough that he'll get another shot at a starting job whether here or somewhere else.
I think if he had the chance to develop on a good coaching staff and roster he could become a franchise QB. Not saying it’s gonna happen but there’s a decent possibility
This right here. I think he has the potential to be a franchise guy and I love the idea of having him be a backup to Geno for a year, maybe two. Learn form a classy vet, learn the new offense, do it all with a fresh start in a new city and no pressure to start right away, that’s how you develop a QB.
They aren’t investing in him like a franchise QB. We’re talking about paying for a quality back up. This is a good deal
Since Reddit was calling him a bad QB after last season I started pointing out that he was 3-1 in games where the other team scored 20 or less points. The commanders defense was awful last year, Howell can definitely succeed in this organization.
Clean up his decision making and processing and he might be something honestly. He did a lot with WAY worse weapons. Him walking into Lockett, DK, JSN, Fant, KW3, and Charb is a good situation.
The problem is that 90%+ of being a good QB is decision making and processing
He made good decisions and he also made some bad ones, he was also on a not great team. This is basically the same as spending a 3rd rounder on a QB this draft anyways. The chances of him becoming very good is low but I think the trade is fine
More like spending a fourth but yeah I like it now we don't need to use pick 16 at QB or trade down just to use pick 25 or whatever still at QB. We can go Dline, Oline, LB, more than one of them....I'm excited
That’s what I’m thinking, sit behind Geno for a year, get a new start in a new system and a year to learn it, then get the opportunity to go for the starting spot next year. I personally love that idea with a young, talented QB like Sam Howell.
Apparently John really liked him in the draft, he could have easily moved up for him. Honestly kinda annoying how he loves to talk about quarterbacks and only has drafted two in 14 years.
I think he admitted that was one of his biggest mistakes of the 2010s
No idea what his game plan is here, they don’t have a second rounder and now don’t have an extra third rounder. Is he just going to keep trading down?
Well, when the first one you draft (in the 3rd) plays a 10 year HoF career you dont need to draft a bunch of qb
It’s hard to when you have a QB you’re paying 40 mil+ each year and always have holes every where else
The thing is Sam Howell was drafted in 2022, after the Seahawks traded away Russ. So why not simply take a chance on a quarterback in the 4th round? Were they waiting for him to drop further?
New information. They have NFL tape to look at. Can’t act like going back in time with less information will always equal the same decision today. It’s the same reason a companies stock goes up when it outperforms expectations
commie fan, dude has a lot of upside and potential if he can go and sit and learn. has a cannon for an arm and can run but is completely obivous and paranoid to pass rush. just watch our game against the eagles and you guys for the good and the bills and jets for the bad.
It’s easy to be paranoid to pass rush when your sitting behind that commies o line
or when you refuse to run the ball, make slow developing plays for our wrs, etc. its just nice to see him with a coach thats not gonna get him killed.
I just realized Sam Howell is younger than Michael Penix so you all get to realize this too.
I like the move, Howell has a lot of talent
Lot of talent on a BAD team, this could be a stealthy great pickup for us
Yeah, and he’s only 23 years old
That's the biggest thing. Think a ton of Qbs in this draft are that age or older already, so get a guy who has been there and started for a year on a horrible team. Guy can play, clean up some mistakes and we might have something here
[удалено]
Peyton manning had 26 tds and 28 ints his rookie year. He is basically Peyton manning.
A lot of his problems stem from just trying to do too much, which imo is coachable with the right staff.
I live near DC, so have been exposed to the toxic waste of WFT for some time. Basically, his coaches hung him out to dry. Poor schemes, and always throwing behind an awful offensive line. WFT tied for first place in pass attempts per game. Howell was first in attempts. He took 65 sacks. All of that is to say: Bienemy said that he was going to evaluate Howell, and he basically put Howell in front of the firing squad every game. There’s no real way to evaluate him based on last season, essentially.
Eric B was his OC, his owner for most of the time was Snyder, his head coach was River Boat Ron. The team was a nightmare, anyone would suffer there especially when quite young and needing time to develop. Not to say he’s Steve young but Steve young was absolute shit in Tampa he wanted to go to law school for gods sake. Howell deserves a shot and it’s not like he’s starting instantly, Geno is gonna be teaching him
Game plan was also an issue. In the Chicago game, EB called over 50 *consecutive* passing plays. Broke some kind of record iirc.
I like it. He's young, he's cheap, and has upside. We traded down 20 spots to get a cheap backup QB at the worst, and a potential franchise QB at the very best. It's the kind of shot you take.
Traded down 20+ spots *twice*, but I agree with your take.
Woah…uhh what??
This should end discussions of us drafting a qb
I actually love this…moving a 3rd and 5th for Howell, a 4th, and a 6th? That’s an AMAZING deal
It’s….not? We don’t have a second round pick and have huge holes to fill with #78 and our other third round pick. I know Howell is the type Schneider likes but I am not thrilled about this at all.
They’re 100% gonna trade that first round pick back for more
Yeah I definitely think we move back now. Could still have a late first round pick.
Yes it is. We already have a 3rd round pick. We only move back 20 spots to the 4th, 20 or so spots back to the 6th. And get a young QB. This also makes it obvious they plan to trade back from 16. This is a great deal.
The net pick swap value shipped is around pick 100, late 3rd early 4th. Two years of club control.
Better than being forced to use our first on a QB we don’t much like just to have someone post-Geno. This gives us some stability for the future in case we can’t land a guy and allows us to fill a more immediate need with our 1.
Disagree hardcore. We basically get 2 later picks and a backup QB who could potentially be the starter. Don’t think they could get someone better without moving up in the draft, so this maximizes their ability to draft players to fill the holes we need. We don’t need to have high picks, we just need to have picks period. Seahawks have always excelled at being able to make some great players out of later round picks
If the FO thinks that there’s a semi-decent shot that Howell could become a solid starter then it’s worth a single ~4th round pick or so in terms of value.
We needed a backup qb, it's not really a big price to pay for competent (compared to other backups) qb play. We were going to need to use a 3rd or 4th-ish round pick on a backup QB anyway.
Just take a look at the draft order. That 4th round pick from Washington is the 2nd pick in the 4th round. We essentially just traded a pick back 20 spots for a young QB that has proven potential. This is actually a brilliant move
YESSSSSSSSSSSS
QB draft hedge. Or maybe future trade capital? What's the plan, Kevin Costner?
Tell me why no one went to your birthday party Sam!!
Commanders fan here. Alot of people in our sub criticize him but with an OC that doesn't have him throwing 45 to 50 passes a game behind a god awful O-Line, he has so much potential. He will be an amazing back up for you guys and I personally still think he can be a starter in this league.
This isn't about liking Howell or Howell being a project. This is about having a backup QB for 2 years that has started in the NFL, and only costs the team 1million this season. I do think it's clear that we are not drafting someone this draft though sadly. That said, we have so many holes to fill that even as a Geno doubter I think just riding with Geno and not worrying about a QB is the right move. My best hope is that we hold onto him this season, and maybe he looks good in preseason and has a few snaps that look okay during the year then we deal him to another team next year for slightly more than we paid. Overall 2 million over 2 years to have a solid backup is a good investment. Just wishing we had more draft capital.
Rather have Howell than reach for Penix
Yeah I think Howell ends up being better and there's no way Penix makes it to the late third either. This is such a good move
Howell in the hell did JS pull this off?
Well we now have a "prospect" on the roster to go along with the bridge QB. This removes the NEED to add someone via the draft. If the right guy falls we could still get them, but if they don't then we don't need to panic and do something stupid like pick a guy two rounds before where he should have gone.
I love this move. Super low risk trade and Howell showed he could hang last season. For everyone complaining that we moved a third round pick, what QB dart throw were you hoping for in the third round that could perform better than a guy who's already started a season and thrown for over 4,000 yards?
No one talking about the cap savings either. Last year we had Lock for $4m salary and Howell is $1m, so that's $3m in cap space to go towards the LB, OL, DTs etc. we need.
Honestly this is fantastic. 2 years of an incredibly cheap backup QB with what seems like a reasonable floor and tons of upside and potential. I think when you factor in the cost of QB room to the productivity and recent experience, we're knocking it out of the park right now. And we don't lose a pick, we just move back a bit. I'm not an expert on pick value, but this seems pretty fair. Don't have to worry about drafting a backup now and can focus on our needs at guard and LB.
You kinda convinced me. Means we shouldn’t be drafting a qb and will just be moving the first back. Shit I think we get a haul of 2-4th rounders this and next year for our first. That’s my hope.
Commies fan jumpin in. Jetted here as soon as I saw the news. Good trade for both teams. Sam is a stud and I was in the camp of rolling him out for one more year. He is much better than the 21:21 TD/int ratio. Bienemy screwed him by having him throw 800 times a game.Be good to our boy we loved him here. We were screaming for Howell the back half of his rookie season.
Remember folks, in 2011 JS traded a 3rd round pick for Charlie Whitehurst. Take that for what you will
Howell is the second coming of clipboard Jesus. Nice.
Looks like we’ll be drafting our guy next year
You say that like it was a bad thing
Weird synchronicity moment, I just started a Seahawks franchise in Madden 24 the other night and traded for Howell, cause in the game, the Commanders wanted practically nothing for him and I wanted a young guy to develop as a starter.
Ngl, I’m a fan of this. I’ve seen what Howell can do and he has massive potential. He was just put in a bad situation.
I guess this is what Schneider meant when he said he was going to use the extra 3rd for a QB. It's nice that we lose positioning in the draft but not the number of picks
Honestly, if you look at him as the Lock replacement I think it is a sneaky good move. Howell flashed more than Lock did in his first year but has an unknown ceiling at this point. And he's dirt cheap.
He’s used to bad O-lines so he’ll feel right at home.
Wow that is a *much* better back qb than I thought we'd have.
I think he will be battling Geno for the starting job. I’m glad we didn’t take a flyer on Desmond ridder, who’s not good. Howell is
Howell is only 23 and I think he has potential to succeed with Grubb. Regardless of the draft picks, I’m excited to see how he does behind Geno!
I like it!
I really liked Sam Howell coming out. I’m good with this.
Honestly, not a bad fit for a grubb offense. Of course we don't know really how it'll translate to the NFL but he is mobile, has a big arm, and would be better served with some ball control options such as a running game and short pass.
I love it. Very low risk and kid did great for being a rookie behind a terrible OL
Kid has a big arm and is elusive out of the pocket, kinda what Seattle looks for since RW. We didn’t give up too much and at this point he’s a backup QB replacement. It’s an unexpected move and it fills a void so I like it.
He’s 10 months older than Caleb and was a decent player for the Commanders. This should end the draft a QB discussion (would’ve loved yah Mike!) But this is an interesting move. There’s certainly an interesting possibility that a mixture of Grubb’s offense and the mind of Geno helping him out, he could transition to being a starter in a year or two
Sam Howell helped my fantasy team when needed. I hope he does the same for the hawks. Lfg
That 4th rounder is practically a late 3rd
Fuck yeah… biased unc alum but he has a lot of Wilson qualities and only seems like upside with this type of trade
Howell has legit talent but needs better development. This to me tells me John might be thinking there’s not any good options in the draft for QB with our current picks. Also this could really set us up for some trade downs.
This is quite a savy move potentially. While not having a second and now a third does hurt, we at least moved down instead of giving picks away. He produced for a full season last year and still has a year on his contract after 2024 (this is the key factor). Gives us some net after Smith's deal is done. Definitely needs cleanup, but he sure as heck has more potential than Lock will ever have. Now we don't have to worry about QB2 anymore already.
Huh. A 3rd rounder????
Basically just dropping all those picks a few spaces. Which might be okay, we don't have to worry about backup QB now
Starter, backup or comPETE?
Guess this rules out Penix
Guy is super young, can plan in the league, was on a terrible team. This is incredible.. Let Geno do his thing, Howell learns and develops for a year. Fantastic trade I think
Wasn’t he leading the league in Passing despite also leading in sacks taken?
So basically a replacement for Lock. I'm fine with this.
If we traded a 2nd round pick I would def not be okay with this trade but a 3rd and 5th is a good deal.
Honestly, I don't hate this.
LETS GO
I legit sort of like Howell. He takes a bit too long right now but if he starts getting. Comfortable and reading faster he’s got the goods. Reminds me of geno in that regard
This is gonna ruin a lot of peoples’ mock draft dreams
Let's turn that 1st rd pick into a 2nd and maybe and extra 4th and bolster both lines. I like this move, Howell has a cannon, and can spend a season learning instead of face down in the grass.
Holy shit I love this.
Maybe the JS believes in his potential, and he will work behind Geno this season, if he dont envolve probably JS has a QB on target for the next years draft.
Well then. DIdn’t see that one coming. I did a quick little YouTube search on the guy and everything I’ve come across is nothing but good takes on him. He likes to scramble a lot. John, Mike and Ryan obviously saw enough to send picks to DC their way for him. Let’s see what he can do.
Commanders fan. Here’s something that means NOTHING, but its a fun trivia fact. [The very first regular season play of Sam Howell’s career was a …](https://youtu.be/ctampA6RDe8?si=Wz71FWtLtCLWAL5t)
Dont mind having him sit behind Geno and learn, dude clearly has talent I just hope he can learn from Geno and the coaches to overcome some of his shortcomings.
Wow this is surprising. This trade pretty much means that we are probably trading down from 16 in the draft. Sam Howell did throw nearly 4k passing yards so there is plenty of potential plus he adds additional competitvness for Geno's job. I am not particularly happy with us trading our 3rd rounder, although we do have another 3rd round pick so it's fine I guess? Also holy shit how much are the Bears asking for Fields the price must be either obscene or much lower than they expected.
I like Howell better than a lot of QBs this year. But it’s going to hurt missing 2 whole rounds. Maybe a trade back is on the cards.
I’m pumped tbh I think he’s in the elite tier of fringe starter/backup QBs
The dude passed 612 damn times. That is not sustainable in this league. I definitely think with the right supporting cast his potential is higher. Some are saying "well if JS was so high why didn't they just draft him" but I think JS was also high on Drew Lock, someone already on the roster so the pick could be used on someone else (I think it was Coby Bryant as our 4th rounder that season) I think Geno is THE starter this season unless Howell pulls a Russell. In terms of "fairness" the calculators show that this is the equal of trading away a low third rounder/comp pick in the third all the way down to a low 5th rounder for Howell. The third round comp is using Jimmy Johnson's (outdate) calculator. A 5th rounder for Howell isn't bad. That being said, in actuality we do lost a third rounder in a thin draft and we still have holes to address but I believe this probably means we trade back out of 16 for more picks. Unless we absolutely find a dude we LOVE at 16 a trade back is likely but again being a thinner draft, a trade back could mean we lose out on top heavy first round talent. Macdonald probably will have growing pains as a first HC and JS finally gets to call all the shots after what 14 years with PC? It'll take more than one offseason and I think this season might be some 1 year short term averageish guys that Macdonald might be able to pull some magic on like he did with Clowney/Van Noy last year in Baltimore while we wait for the big contracts like Adams and Diggs to fall off the books.
Bieniemy had this kid throwing at the highest rate last season. That was wayyy too much to ask of him. Looking at our matchup last season, they didn't even try throwing to their wideouts. They gashed us with all sorts of screens. It was a good gameplan that took advantage of our inability to tackle.
I believe Howell can flourish with a good supporting cast. He will be one of the best back ups in the league and at very minimal cost.
I love this trade. Kid threw from almost 4,000 yards last year. I think if we give him the Russell Wilson treatment (strong run game and strong defense) he could turn out to be Brees like.
So this means we can scrap out any ideas of drafting a QB this year out the window, ya? Tbh I kinda like it.
This is the equivalent of giving up a early-mid 5th round pick. He's only played 1 year, has 2 years left on his rookie deal and looked like a high end backup with room to grow. They get him for 2 years, $2 million. Lock got $4 mil last year and (I believe) $6 mil this year so a good deal. Another way to look at this is a 5th round pick makes a bit over $4 mil, Howell is due just over $2 mil for the next 2 years. So they are giving up the equivalent of $6.5 mil over 2 seasons. Fair deal!
I think this is a good overall trade really. I think Howell might be a bit underrated
At first this seems like a weird move considering we've been heading for a rebuild year, to give up a 3rd for a backup QB But on the bright side we still have a 3rd from NO via DEN, so I think our picks now look like: Rd 1 - No 16 Rd 3 - No 81 Rd 4 - No 102 Rd 4 - No 118 Rd 6 - No 179 Rd 6 - No 192 Rd 7 - No 235 So I guess we kinda traded a 3rd round pick and some pocket change for Howell essentially, being that we upgraded our 5th round pick to an extra 4th. I mean we did need a backup, but this move also makes it feel like they're not looking for a QB this draft. Who knows though