Commanders' Ron Rivera Says He Regretted Not Playing Sam Howell Sooner in 2022

Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera believes that he has his quarterback of the future in Sam Howell and is expressing regret at not giving him a chance earlier.

Rivera made the gutsy call to start Howell in the Commanders final regular season game against the Dallas Cowboys in 2022 and the then-rookie delivered a solid performance, going 11-19 for 169 yards, a touchdown and an interception in a 26-6 victory.

In the ride home from the game, Rivera and his wife Stephanie spoke about the performance and the head coach was frustrated with himself for not giving Howell a chance sooner.

"You can ask Stephanie, all we f---ing talked about was the quarterback, what the quarterback did, who he was," Rivera said, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. "I kept saying, 'F---, if I would have known this, I would have played him sooner.' When you only have so much time to show it, it's hard, I kept thinking, God … but after that game, everything told me this kid, give him the opportunity and see what he does with it."

Rivera told Breer that he was impressed with Howell's ability to rebound from the interception he threw as the young signal-caller recognized the play he should have made and faced it head on.

Even fellow quarterback Taylor Heinicke, who was competing with Howell for playing time, praised his teammate.

"Taylor told me, 'Coach, this guy's got arm talent. I can't throw the ball like he does,'" Rivera said. "Taylor told me that. I think the world of who Taylor is. For him to tell me that, that's what drove me to play [Howell] against Dallas, it was really how honest and up front Taylor was about this thing. I thought, I got to play this kid. Sure enough, he lived up to it."

This likely resulted in Howell being offered the "first shot" at the starting job in 2023 back in May, and he has received rave reviews from teammates, including top receiver Terry McLaurin, and fans for his play throughout training camp and the preseason.

This is all very significant for a former fifth-round pick, although Howell isn't the typical fifth-round quarterback. He had first-round buzz early in his collegiate career at North Carolina, but a difficult final season impacted his draft stock.

Howell now is viewed as a potential long-term starter for a franchise that has seen instability at the position since Kirk Cousins left the team in 2018. While his performance against the Cowboys and in the preseason has set a strong base, entering the season as the starter is definitely a tall task and is something that the 22-year-old will have to take in stride.

The first look at Howell in 2023 will come in the team's Week 1 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals September 10.