Rookie quarterback Drake Maye made steady progress throughout the spring, suggesting he could begin pushing veteran Jacoby Brissett for the starting role as early as Week 1. Maye's physical skill set passed the initial eye test, with the arm talent, size, and athleticism of a modern quarterback, which is what made him an intriguing option at No. 3 overall.

The other angle from a starting quarterback perspective is that the Patriots signed a bridge in veteran Jacoby Brissett. The idea was to have the option to ease Maye, or whoever the Pats drafted, into things rather than throwing them into the fire on a rebuilding team. There's an argument to be made that Brissett should start initially, buying time for the pieces around the quarterback to solidify themselves before Maye takes over.

The story did say, "there were moments when Maye was the best quarterback on the field during minicamp and OTA sessions. He made his fair share of in-rhythm throws, displaying improving footwork and timing within structure, while his deep ball accuracy was as advertised based on his college film." The story went on to say, "the next step for Maye is to continue building on the good habits he developed in the spring."

Commanders’ QB Jacoby Brissett is being added to the injury report due to hamstring tightness and will be listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the 49ers. If he can’t start, Sam Howell would.

Quite the curveball here ahead of Week 17. Howell would return to fantasy relevance due to his legs, but will ding the skill position groups, namely, Terry McLaurin.

The Commanders are making a QB change with two games left. Following his impressive performance on Sunday, Jacoby Brissett will start against the 49ers, coach Ron Rivera is announcing.

Sam Howell to the bench.

Howell offered us a lot of fantasy points with his legs, but in terms of real-life football, his decision-making and processing were lacking, leading to an astronomical 60 sacks taken and 24 turnover-worthy passes that led to 17 interceptions. Brissett offers a Superflex QB2 option against a tough 49ers defense.

Ron Rivera said they're still "working through a couple things" in deciding who will be the Commanders' starting QB going forward.

Related players: Jacoby Brissett, Sam Howell

The post went on to say the players are off today, so an announcement likely will come Wednesday. It will be a tough task no matter who gets the call as they host a 49ers team fresh off a loss to Baltimore. Howell threw two INTs and was just 6 for 22 with 56 yards before Brissett entered and went 10 for 13 for 100 yards and a TD.

The Commanders benched quarterback Sam Howell for veteran Jacoby Brissett in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Rams.

But while Brissett provided a clear spark and tossed two touchdown passes to make things interesting, head coach Ron Rivera said after the game that Howell remains Washington’s QB1.

The Rams were up 28-7 when Howell was replaced. He finished the game 11-of-26 for 102 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Brissett came in and went 8-of-10 for 124 yards with two touchdown passes.

Sam Howell will start the season opener at quarterback for the Washington Commanders, coach Ron Rivera said Friday, ending what had been a one-sided competition for the job. Howell has worked only with the starters since spring practices began. He has taken all but several reps with the starters; Jacoby Brissett, signed in the offseason, took his place for a handful of snaps before the preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns.

On the surface, Howell is surrounded by a lot of talent, but he will be the most unproven commodity at the position outside of the incoming rookie class. Howell did show a bit with his legs in limited action last year and should firmly be on 2QB/SF radars.

Per Fortier, who was at the presser with head coach Ron Rivera; Rivera still considers it a competition between Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett.

In a later conversation, Fortier asked if it was important for Brissett to receive first-team reps. The veteran responded with "we'll cross that bridge when we cross that bridge."

This is clearly an annoying situation for fantasy owners. The easiest thing we can boil this down to at this point; Jacoby Brissett represents a clear floor for both himself and his pass catchers in Washington. On the other hand, Sam Howell offers a very intriguing ceiling while offering what amounts to an incredibly low floor.

We'll have to wait and see how this develops.

The Washington Commanders are signing QB Jacoby Brissett to a one-year deal worth up to $10 million and $8 million guaranteed. Washington gets a starting option for a quarterback who played well for Cleveland last year.

Related Players: Sam Howell

This constitutes one of the first quarterback competitions of the 2023 offseason, so buckle up. This contract is essentially double what the Browns paid him on a one-year deal, so we can take that as a hint as to how Washington perceives Brissett. Howell only started one game during his rookie season, so it's difficult to compare them statistically, but one can assume that Brissett has the leg-up at the moment.

After an 11-game suspension for violations of the NFL's personal conduct policy, Browns  QB Deshaun Watson has complied with all the terms and now is officially back and active.

Related Players: Jacoby Brissett

Coming off a huge win against the Buccaneers, Cleveland will now be playing Watson's former Texans. Brissett was the QB17 in points per game up to this point in the season, so that will operate as Watson's absolute floor.

Deshaun Watson practiced with the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday for the first time since Aug. 30. But with the quarterback sidelined for two more games as part of his 11-game suspension, coach Kevin Stefanski said the team's priority remains preparing quarterback Jacoby Brissett to play.

"This is the next step for [Watson]; it's good to have him back on the field," Stefanski said. "But the most important thing right now is getting ready for Buffalo and getting Jacoby ready."

Since Oct. 10, Watson has been allowed to sit in on team meetings and work out at the Browns' training facility. But until Wednesday, Watson had left the training facility when the Browns practiced, throwing and practicing on his own, the story said. The team is expected to start Watson in Week 13 at Houston.