Commanders receiver gives brutally honest account of Seahawks QB Sam Howell

Sam Howell is going to be the backup for the Seattle Seahawks in 2024. Geno Smith is going to be the starter. There should be zero doubt about that. But when Seattle traded for Howell earlier this offseason, the team added a quarterback with a full year of starting experience who is still only 23 years old. Howell is also under contract for two more years.

With the Washington Commanders in 2023, Howell started all 17 games, but he was benched in two games in the second half of the season. He has a good arm and some decent mobility, but whether he can truly be a QB1 in the NFL for a long stretch of time is anyone's guess. General manager John Schneider might want to see if Howell can, and Howell is a very inexpensive backup who brings no downside to Seattle behind Smith.

One underrated aspect of Howell could be how well he gets along with his teammates. This could mean that if Howell does have to get a lot of reps as Seattle's starting quarterback, his teammates are going to want to play hard for him. If a team does not believe in their quarterback, that is certainly going to hurt morale, but that shouldn't be a concern with Howell.

Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin speaks glowingly about Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell

This is based on Commanders star receiver Terry McLaurin recently answering questions in a press conference about the offseason moves of the Commanders, including the trade of Howell. McLaurin is clearly a fan of Howell and he felt there was the potential for a greater on-field connection between the receiver and the quarterback. McLaurin does believe that Howell moving to the Seahawks and playing under Smith is going to help Howell even more, however.

McLaurin told reporters, "It’s always tough seeing someone you build a really good relationship with move on in their career. Especially your quarterback, because as a receiver, you want to continue to try to build that chemistry. That was only our first year playing with one another, and I feel like him and I made some great plays, and we had some room for growth.

"...To see him go in a situation to have a chance to compete and play under a really good quarterback in Geno. I think he’ll really like throwing to receivers like Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and DK. So I think he’s going to a situation where he’ll have a chance to continue to show that he can play quarterback at a high level in this league, which I still truly believe."

To be fair, McLaurin's words about Howell are likely more important for the on-field product of a team than whatever a general manager says about the quarterback. That's because another player is doing the dirty work with the other player and understanding how each handles late-game pressure. Conversations in a huddle can be as important as off-field conversations between players and coaches.

If McLaurin believes in Howell - and he clearly does as he has no reason to simply be nice about a quarterback who is no longer on his same team - then that likely means 12s should believe in the quarterback as well. Who knows? Maybe Howell is QB1 for the Seahawks as soon as 2025.

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