The Washington Commanders benched quarterback Sam Howell earlier in the week, naming Jacoby Brissett the starting quarterback for the Week 17 game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Howell had struggled in his previous two starts, as he was benched in the second half of both games. Brissett replaced him, and between the two games, the veteran signal-caller led the Commanders to five touchdowns in his six drives as the quarterback.
However, on Friday, Washington added Brissett to the injury report with a hamstring injury.
“After meetings, I guess he went in and complained about being tight and sore,” Rivera said Friday. “So, [Head Athletic Trainer] Al [Bellamy] came down that evening and told us that he had just treated Jacoby, and then this morning, he came in, and he was still tight. So, we wanted to be careful and just kind of see how he’s doing. We’re going to monitor him the next 48 hours.”
Essentially, Brissett was a game-time decision.
On Saturday, Washington made several roster moves, one of which was signing quarterback Jake Fromm from the practice squad.
What does that mean?
It looks like the Commanders may need to turn back to Howell for Sunday’s game, as Ian Rapoport reports Brissett has “an uphill battle to play” vs. the 49ers.
From @NFLGameDay Kickoff: #Commanders QB Jacoby Brissett (hamstring) has an uphill battle to play, sources say, meaning Sam Howell may start after being benched earlier in the week. Brissett is listed as questionable. pic.twitter.com/KhKRm6fsMu
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 31, 2023
Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston said the Commanders were expected to start Howell.
#Commanders are expected to start quarterback Sam Howell on Sunday against #49ers due to quarterback Jacoby Brissett being sidelined with hamstring injury aggravated, per a league source @KPRC2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) December 30, 2023
The Commanders have announced nothing, but signs are pointing to Howell returning to the starting lineup after a weird week.
