The Seattle Seahawks decided to use their second preseason game of the year to get a good, long look at their depth on both sides of the ball. Offensively, that meant another heavy workload for backup quarterback Sam Howell, who started in the backfield for just the second time in a Seattle uniform.
Howell looked shaky in last weekend's win over the Los Angeles Chargers, but he rebounded with a highly-promising performance last night against the Tennessee Titans. Specifically, Howell displayed smart footwork both inside and outside of the pocket, threw fearlessly into pressure and showed off oodles of arm talent.
Watch NFL draft analyst Chris Trapasso breaking down an excellent game from Howell.
#Seahawks pic.twitter.com/Yt8EDlrAQn
— Chris Trapasso 🏈 (@ChrisTrapasso) August 18, 2024
Howell ended the evening going 11/14 (78.5%) for 153 yards (10.9 YPA), one touchdown, zero interceptions and a 136.0 passer rating. He added another 11 yards with his legs.
It is only one preseason game, but it's important to remember that even though this is Howell's third season in the NFL, he's still practically a rookie. Effectively red-shirted by former Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera, Howell only started one game his first year in the league, then 17 more last season.
With so little experience to go on and being just 23 years old, there's still plenty of time for Howell to grow into the QB he's destined to become. Saturday's game was a very interesting flash of what might be in his future - and you can see why the Seahawks are in no great hurry to add years onto Geno Smith's contract.
