Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell is leading the NFC for passing yards through nine weeks, but what is his story?
DAZN takes a closer look at Howell's journey to the NFL.
A star from a young age
Like many NFL players, Howell was a standout in high school. Playing in Waynesville, North Carolina, Howell threw for 13,415 yards and 145 touchdowns to become the number two ranked recruit in the state.
He committed first to FSU but changed his mind to go with UNC.
In his second season he continued to shine, eventually ranking 18th in the AP Poll.
Howell's numbers took a dip in his third year, he threw for fewer yards, fewer touchdowns and more interceptions. Despite the down year, he opted to declare for the 2022 NFL Draft.
A mid-round pick
Pre-draft comparisons with Jalen Hurts saw Howell being mocked in the mid third round, but he had to wait until the fifth round when he was selected No. 144 overall by Washington in 2022.
Howell was named third on the depth chart behind starter Carson Wentz and back-up Taylor Heinicke. Wentz went down with a broken finger in Week 7, making Heinicke the starter and seeing Howell promoted to back-up.
In Week 18, Howell made his NFL debut. Washington crushed the Dallas Cowboys 26-6, with Howell throwing for 169 yards, one touchdown and one pick. He also ran for an additional score.
New era brings new opportunity
Following the change of ownership over the summer, Washington began the new season under Ron Rivera with new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
There was also major changes in the quarterback room with Wentz being released and Heinicke joining Atlanta as a free agent.
Former Cleveland quarterback Jacoby Brissett was signed to compete with Howell, but the former UNC man won the job and Rivera confirmed him as the team's starter.
His first year as the Washington starter has been quite successful. While the team have struggled to a 4-5 record, Howell leads the NFC with 2471 passing yards and 14 touchdowns against nine interceptions.
He has produced two game-winning drives despite being sacked a whopping 44 times. Howell is on pace to shatter the records held by David Carr and Randall Cunningham for most sacks and most yardage lost on sacks respectively.