Commanders QB Sam Howell: 5 Things to Know, Including His Unique Diet

A lot can change over the course of a week in the NFL. Just ask Sam Howell.

After the Washington Commanders quarterback threw four interceptions and was sacked nine times in a 34-point loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 3, the 23-year-old pushed the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles to the brink in Week 4. Howell threw a game-tying touchdown as regulation expired last Sunday to send the Eagles and Commanders to overtime.

Despite Howell's late-game heroics, Philadelphia eventually won, 34-31. Howell threw for 290 yards on the day and showed Washington's ability to compete with the NFL's elite.

"It was definitely a game I think we should have won, and we were capable of winning it," Howell said. "We feel like we can play a lot better, and that is a good thing. We were really close against a good team."

The Commanders won't face the same challenge in Week 5. Washington hosts the 0-4 Chicago Bears in the week's Thursday Night Football matchup. The Bears have lost a franchise-record 14 consecutive games and are underdogs again this week against the Commanders. The game is scheduled to kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET and will air on Amazon Prime.

Before then, here are five things to know about Howell, from his unique diet to his record-breaking college career.

Flipped From Florida State to North Carolina

Howell attended Sun Valley High School in Monroe, North Carolina, and set the state record for total yards (17,036) by the end of his prep career. The standout QB was named the Gatorade State Player of the Year, USA Today Player of the Year and AP State Player of the Year, among other prestigious honors, as a senior in high school.

All this meant he had his choice of colleges to attend.

The Indian Trail, North Carolina, native was a consensus four-star prospect, according to website 247Sports, as well as the No. 2 player in the state and the No. 3 pro-style QB in the country.

Alabama, Georgia, Michigan and dozens of other schools around the country offered Howell a scholarship. He initially committed to Florida State but flipped to the Tar Heels on early signing day in 2018 after coach Mack Brown took over at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC).

Record-Breaking College Career

Ahead of his freshman season with North Carolina, Howell was competing with two more-experienced quarterbacks for the starting job. But Brown ended up going with Howell, making him the first freshman QB to start a season opener in program history.

"We've been looking at our quarterback situation very closely," Brown said at the time. "And we're concerned about not having enough leadership on offense, and one of your true leaders has to be your quarterback. The guys are in a tough spot because all three of them are good enough and all three of them are working hard enough, but Sam Howell will start taking the snaps with the blue team, our first team."

That decision paid off.

Howell set the FBS true freshman record and UNC school record with 38 touchdown passes in his first collegiate season. Over a three-year career with the Tar Heels, Howell threw 92 passing touchdowns, the third-most in ACC history. Howell also ranks fifth in conference history in total touchdowns (111) and passing yards (10,283), and eighth in total offense (11,292 yards).

Was Sixth Quarterback Drafted in 2022 Class

Howell, in a lengthy thank-you video to North Carolina, announced his decision to forgo his remaining college eligibility and declare for the 2022 NFL draft.

The Commanders selected Howell in the fifth round of the draft at No. 144 overall. Howell was the sixth QB drafted in his class. The Pittsburgh Steelers made Kenny Pickett the first quarterback off the board when they drafted him in the first round. Desmond Ridder (Atlanta Falcons), Malik Willis (Tennessee Titans) and Matt Corral (Carolina Panthers) were all drafted in the third round. The New England Patriots took Bailey Zappe in round four.

Pickett and Ridder are the only QBs selected ahead of Howell who are also their team's starters this season.

Because of his draft slot, Howell signed a four-year contract worth just north of $4 million with Washington. The rookie contract includes a $361,600 signing bonus, $361,600 guarantee and an average annual salary just above $1 million, according to Spotrac.

Howell's Unique Diet

Being a prominent football player—a quarterback no less—means that certain elements of Howell's life are public. That includes his diet. Howell said during a virtual Orange Bowl luncheon in 2020 that, since childhood, the only meat he's eaten is chicken. Mostly chicken nuggets or tenders.

"People give me a hard time, but the only meat I eat is chicken," Howell said, according to WTVD in Durham, North Carolina. "It's been like that my whole life. I really don't know why. I started that when I was younger, but it's something I've kind of just kept up through my whole life.... Chicken is the only meat I eat, so I only go to restaurants that serve something with chicken on the menu."

This topic resurfaced last year when Howell disclosed in a Commanders video that he'd never eaten steak. Howell also hasn't had a hamburger and avoids seafood. The QB will order chicken tenders at a steakhouse and bring his own tenders to a team dinner if they aren't going to be served.

What Eric Bieniemy Loves About Howell

There weren't many bright spots on offense for the Commanders in 2022.

Washington went 8-8-1, good for last in the NFC East, and finished with the 24th-ranked scoring offense in the league. Howell sat behind quarterbacks Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke for most of the season. But head coach Ron Rivera turned to Howell for the regular-season finale against the Dallas Cowboys.

Howell's lone start of his rookie season was in a 26-6 Commanders win over the Cowboys. The 6-foot-1 QB completed 11 of his 19 passes for 169 yards, a touchdown and a pick. Not the flashiest stat line. Still, it was enough for the Commanders to give Howell a shot moving forward.

Rivera brought in former Chiefs coordinator Eric Bieniemy this offseason in an effort to improve Washington's lackluster offense. Howell beat out veteran Jacoby Brissett over the summer to be the team's starting quarterback in 2023. Just ahead of the season opener, Bieniemy was asked how Howell handles the pressure of being an NFL starter.

"You know what, Sam is just—and I've heard some of the players say this over and over again—that he's just calm, he's cool, he's very collective," Bieniemy said in September, according to a team transcript.

"He doesn't get too high," Bieniemy went on. "Obviously, he doesn't get too down with anything. I love his demeanor. I think he does an outstanding job of just handling all the information that's being provided. He knows how to channel all the noise and put it in perspective."

So far this season, Howell is completing 67.1 percent of his passes for 961 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions.