Some 12s might have been hoping for a real quarterback battle in training camp this year. There are still several who
doubt that Geno Smith will be a good quarterback, even though he has shown to be a pretty good one over the last
couple of years, and those same people probably hoped Sam Howell might find a way to push Smith for QB1.
Any hopes of that happening ended quickly, though. Smith came into camp seemingly having a great grasp on Ryan
Grubb’s new playbook, while Howell appeared lost. Worse, he struggled to throw passes accurately or on time.
Whatever general manager John Schneider thought he saw from Howell in 2023 when he was the starting
quarterback for the Washington Commanders, Schneider had to begin to doubt his own senses. Howell did not just
look like the clear QB2, he at times did not even appear to be someone who should make the roster.
