Ron Rivera made waves earlier this offseason when he stated second-year passer Sam Howell would start 2023 as the Washington Commanders' top quarterback.
How he'll finish remains far from certain.
Rivera told reporters Tuesday that, while he's given Howell the edge in the low-intensity portion of the year, he's not quite committing to the North Carolina product, Nick Shook of NFL.com reports.
"I do," Rivera said when asked if he saw his quarterback situation as a competition between Howell and veteran Jacoby Brissett for the starting job. "Again, it's one of those things that, guys, it's… Just because I said (Howell's) gonna start off as QB1 doesn't mean he's gonna finish as QB1. I like to believe, though, that if he goes out and does things he's capable of, he's got a very, very good chance of doing that.
"I think Jacoby's shown us some things that have really caught people's attention. We talk about Jacoby almost as much as we talk about Sam. I just think as we go through this process and until we play games, it'd be unfair to start making assessments. Again, there is a lot of confidence."
Howell played in just one game in 2022, the Commanders' season-ending victory over the Dallas Cowboys. The rookie completed 11 of 19 passes for 169 yards, one touchdown and one interception, providing enough proof of potential to earn him the edge entering the offseason.
Brissett, meanwhile, compiled a stronger argument for a starting job, manning the role for the Browns in the absence of Deshaun Watson. Brissett started 11 games, posting a 4-7 record as Cleveland's top option under center and helping the Browns field a competitive offense by completing 64 percent of his passes for 2,608 yards, a 12-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio and an 89.1 passer rating as a starter. While Cleveland struggled to mount much momentum, Brissett was lauded for his efforts, which exceeded expectation and earned him another opportunity in Washington.
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