Player

Sam Howell

5th-round picks rarely log a full 17-game starting season as a sophomore. Howell's 2023 workload (612 attempts, 3,946 yards) accounts for the vast majority of his career production, and the near-1:1 TD-to-INT ratio is the line WAS used to justify moving on.

FanIQ Research · May 10, 2026 · 6 facts, every one from the play-by-play

5th-round pick. Started all 17 games in 2023 for WAS. Threw for 3,946 yards as a 22-year-old. Then immediately got benched.

Milestone

Sam Howell career regular-season totals (thru 2024)

Stat	Total
Seasons	3
Teams	2
Games	19
Attempts	645
Yards	4,139
TDs	22
INTs	23

Why it matters. 5th-round picks rarely log a full 17-game starting season as a sophomore. Howell's 2023 workload (612 attempts, 3,946 yards) accounts for the vast majority of his career production, and the near-1:1 TD-to-INT ratio is the line WAS used to justify moving on.

Started all 17 games in 2023 as a 5th-round pick. That hasn't happened to a 5th-rounder since Brock Purdy's 2022 emergence (and Purdy was Mr. Irrelevant).

Rare

5th-round-or-later QBs to start 17 games in a season (recent)

QB	Year	Round
Sam Howell	2023	5th
Brock Purdy	2023	7th (Mr. Irr.)
Gardner Minshew	2019 (12 GS)	6th
Trevor Siemian	2016 (14 GS)	7th

Why it matters. Day-3 QBs almost never get a full season's worth of starts; teams typically draft over them first. Howell's 17-start 2023 puts him in a tiny modern cohort alongside Brock Purdy, and his 3,946 passing yards rank among the highest by any post-3rd-round QB in a first full year as starter.

His 21 INTs in 2023 LED the entire NFL — and he was sacked 65 times, also leading the league.

Anomaly

2023 NFL leaders in undesirable QB stats

Stat	Howell rank	Total
INTs	1st (worst)	21
Sacks taken	1st (worst)	65
Pass attempts	4th	612

Why it matters. Leading the league in interceptions AND sacks taken in the same season is the rare 'unholy double' and almost always signals systemic offensive collapse rather than pure QB failure. Even adjusted for a porous WAS offensive line, a 3.4% INT rate on 612 attempts was untenable.

WAS 2022 (1 GS, beat DAL) -> WAS 2023 (17 GS, 3,946 yds) -> SEA 2024 (1 G backup) -> PHI 2025 backup. Steep fall from 17-game starter.

Trend

Sam Howell career arc

Phase	Year	Team / role
5th-rd debut	2022	WAS (1 GS, beat DAL)
17-GS season	2023	WAS (3,946 yds, 21 TD, 21 INT)
Traded for picks	2024	SEA (1 G, 14 att)
Backup	2025	PHI (behind Hurts)

Why it matters. Going from a 17-start season at 22 to a No. 2 / No. 3 on a contender is rare without injury — Howell's path was driven entirely by roster decisions (Daniels in WAS, Geno + Sam Darnold around SEA, Hurts entrenched in PHI), not by losing a camp battle on merit.

His 2023 WAS season had real upside flashes: 388 completions, 21 TDs, 263 rush yards, 5 rush TDs.

Split

Howell 2023 WAS — only full season as starter

Stat	2023 total
Games	17
Comp/Att	388/612
Yards	3,946
Pass TDs	21
INTs	21
Rush yds	263
Rush TDs	5

Why it matters. 2023 is Howell's only real evidence base as a starter and it had genuine upside markers: 26 total TDs (21 pass + 5 rush) and 263 rushing yards at age 22 are productive raw totals. The INT rate is what sank the season, not the volume of positive plays.

Drafted 144th overall in 2022. Has thrown more career TDs (22) than 1st-rounder Kenny Pickett (16), taken 124 picks earlier.

Comparison

2022 QB draft class -- career passing TDs

QB	Pick	Career Pass TDs
Kenny Pickett	20	16
Desmond Ridder	74	16
Malik Willis	86	6
Bailey Zappe	137	12
Sam Howell	144	22
Brock Purdy	262 (Mr. Irr.)	92

Why it matters. Pick value vs. production matters for evaluating draft hit rates: Howell at #144 outproducing #20 (Pickett) and #74 (Ridder) on career TDs is the kind of mid-round value teams chase. The cohort comparison reframes the 'Howell flamed out' narrative against his peers.

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