What It Means:

Howell officially beat out Jacoby Brissett and will start Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals. The 2022 fifth-round pick didn't take a snap in the first 16 games as a rookie, but he started the Commanders' finale and went 11-of-19 for 169 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Howell also rushed five times for 35 yards and a touchdown. The rushing ability could provide Howell a decent floor, but he will likely primarily be a deeper-league option in 2023.

It was a tiny sample size, but Howell led all rookie quarterbacks with an average depth of target of 9.7 yards last season. He's the QB22 in numberFire's preseason rankings and our models project him for 3,626.2 passing yards with 21.74 touchdowns and 12.00 interceptions, coupled with 70.4 carries for 319.4 yards and 2.94 touchdowns.