Grading Washington Commanders QBs in Week 1 of the preseason

One area for the Washington Commanders that everyone could agree needed a change after last season was the quarterback position. And they addressed that in a few ways.

Yes, Washington kept Taylor Heinicke on the roster. But they also brought in veteran Carson Wentz. Then they selected Sam Howell in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Suddenly the Commanders have a couple of options for the position.

Were these the greatest options? No. But the position had been addressed and improved upon. Now we would just have to wait for the preseason to see the pecking order and if anyone would play themselves into (or out of) a spot.

The first preseason game has come and gone, so we can start to make some assessments.

Let’s start with Wentz. He was brought in to be the starter, so it was no surprise to see him out there with the first team. The former Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts QB looked strong. He finished the day going 10-for-13 for 74 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

Wentz was on-the-money with most of his throws. But honestly, would’ve loved to see him let it loose a few times. One weird thing with Wentz is that he has a really strong arm. But it seems like he tends to not want to chuck it deep often. We don’t need him to be reckless with it. Washington hasn’t had a quarterback that could air it out for a few years though. So getting a glimpse of that would’ve been nice.

Overall, he looked pretty comfortable and was connecting with his receivers though. It just would have been better if he made some big throws. Final Grade: B

Taylor Heinicke came in next. He went 4-for-9 for 21 yards and an interception. He also ran for 14 yards on two carries. This is tough because he got the least amount of attempts of the three quarterbacks. The interception wasn’t good, obviously. That’s something fans have come to expect from Heinicke though. He’s not afraid to make bold throws. Sometimes they make him look great, others they make him look really bad.

So this was sort of unsurprising to see. Heinicke is a great backup. He’s going to give you good mobility, a lot of confidence, and a never-give-up attitude. Sometimes that leads to bad plays though. Final Grade: C-

Sam Howell was the final quarterback of the day for the Commanders. The rookie went 9-for-16 for 145 yards. He didn’t throw any touchdowns or interceptions, but he added three carries for 19 yards and two scores on the ground.

Howell had a lot of zip on his ball and was very accurate for the most part. He also showcased a great ability to escape pressure, and anyone that watched him play at UNC already knew he had good wheels.

There are going to be those that complain because he did it against third/fourth stringers. Yes, that is true. But you can’t fault Howell for that. Does it mean you should temper your hype and expectations? A little bit. You shouldn’t dismiss good play completely though.

Howell could only play against what was presented to him, and he did a great job. The Washington Commanders had to love what they saw. Final Grade: A