Perhaps the greatest unknown entity as Eric Bieniemy takes over the Washington Commanders' offense is what is the potential for quarterback Sam Howell.
A fifth-round pick by Washington in 2022 (144th overall), Howell has only had the opportunity to play in one regular-season game, when he helped lead the Commanders to a 26-6 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Washington's season finale.
The North Carolina product passed for 169 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the game while rushing for an additional 35 yards and a touchdown.
It's hard to draw much from such limited experience other than that Howell looked good in his first NFL start, making the most of the opportunity presented to him. That, and apparently he showed enough that head coach Ron Rivera is primed to give Howell every opportunity to win the starting job heading into the offseason.
So what does Bieniemy think of Howell? Here's what the new offensive coordinator told reporters on Thursday (via Ben Standig) after his introductory press conference.
"I can only base my evaluation on what he did coming out of college," Bieniemy said. "Now I did have an opportunity to see him play in that last game against the Dallas Cowboys. The kid is a dynamic football player. He can make throws from different platforms. You can tell he has that baseball background."
"The thing that got me fired up was when he ran in on that touchdown, he flexed," Bieniemy added. "That was some good stuff."
That he did.
How does Howell feel about Bieniemy? The quarterback said he is a "big fan" of his new offensive coordinator and was "super impressed with the man he is" after attending Thursday's press conference.
"I was excited," Howell said. "Just hearing him today, he's exactly the man I thought he would be. He brings a lot of confidence and a lot of energy."
The Commanders QB added: "You could just tell he's an awesome leader of men. And I'm super excited to have the opportunity to work with him."
