The Commanders traded for veteran quarterback Carson Wentz. That didn’t stop them from drafting Sam Howell in the fifth round.
Howell is expected to start his career as the third quarterback behind Wentz and Taylor Heinicke, but offensive coordinator Scott Turner said the rookie will get opportunities in training camp.
“We like Sam a lot,” Turner told Julie Donaldson of the team website, via hogshaven.com. “We had him graded high. We’re really surprised he dropped to where he did. We were happy to get him. But he’s a young guy. He only spent 3 years in college. He’s only 21. So, this is an opportunity for him to come in and learn how to play behind two quarterbacks that have played a significant amount of time in the NFL. However he does, that will dictate where it goes. He’ll get opportunities. How you do with those opportunities dictates the next opportunity that you get.”
This time last year, Howell was a favorite, along with Spencer Rattler, to be the No. 1 overall choice. Instead, he was the sixth quarterback off the board.
In three seasons, Howell played 37 games and completed 63.8 percent of his passes for 10,283 yards with 92 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.