NFC Notes: Sam Howell, Commanders, Eagles, Giants

Commanders

Commanders HC Ron Rivera was asked if fifth-round QB Sam Howell would be a contender for the starting job in 2023 if plays well against the Cowboys in Week 18.

“We’re gonna step back,” Rivera said, via CommandersWire.com. “You don’t want to make a quick rash decision, but you do most certainly want to talk about, especially if he does those things that we’re looking at, we’re talking about. It could be one of those things that, yeah, you could say this, this is where we’re gonna come in starting off looking at this and seeing how it all works out. But we also have to be realistic about what’s coming up with free agency and the draft. So, we’ll go through the entire process.”

“Consistency,” Rivera answered when asked what he was looking for from Howell. “Is he doing things the right way? Is he getting the ball out on time? Decision-making? Is he going where he needs to be going? Those are the things that you gotta look at. I mean, you want him to be as successful as possible. We’ll see how it goes.”

Eagles

• One name to keep an eye on for the Panthers’ offensive coordinator job under Steve Wilks, per Albert Breer, is Philadelphia QBs coach Brian Johnson.
• Breer thinks there’s a case the Texans move on from HC Lovie Smith and target Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon, 49ers DCDeMeco Ryans, or former Dolphins HC Brian Flores.