By R.L. Bynum
Sam Howell knows he will begin the season as the Seattle Seahawks’ backup quarterback behind Geno Smith, but he’s proving during the preseason that he has star potential if given the opportunity.
After a frustrating second season with Washington, Howell continued to put up good exhibition numbers in two starts for Seattle by showing accuracy, mobility and a good touch on his throws.
He played only in the first half as Seattle led 12–7 at halftime of its 16–15 loss Saturday at Tennessee. Howell put up a 136 passer rating, connecting on 11 of 14 passes for 153 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in 28 snaps.
“I thought it was pretty solid,” Howell said in the postgame press conference. “Would have liked to finish that drive, I think it was kind of in the middle of the second quarter, with a touchdown. But for the most part, I thought it was pretty solid. Would have liked to score a few more points, but that is the only thing I would say.”
Howell had a tough start when his second pass attempt of the game went high over Jake Bobo’s head, leading to a 3-and-out. But he was nearly perfect after that, with completions of 33, 23, 18, 17, 15 and 14 yards. Other than that early wayward pass, his only other incompletions were an accurate pass that Brady Russell bobbled and an accurate, deep pass to Bobo.
“I thought Sam was really sharp,” Seattle coach Mike Macdonald said. “I thought we moved the ball. I thought he made smart decisions. We were in and out of the huddle, which I felt like we could improve that in the second half. Just pleased he piggybacked on his performance last week and then in practices on Wednesday and Thursday.”
Howell gave Seattle an early lead when he perfectly placed a pass to Easop Winston Jr., who made an over-the-shoulder catch in the right side of the end zone on a 23-yard pass play.
“Yeah, Sop [Winston] can play,” said Howell, who played only 28 snaps (64%) after playing 57 (70%) in a 16–3 road win the week before against the Los Angeles Chargers. “I love Sop. I love getting to play with him. He’s got great hands, great ball skills, some of the best ball skills I’ve ever seen. In practice, he makes some ridiculous catches. He’s great versus press coverage. He’s got a great release package. When we were in the red zone today, they came up and pressed him and all I had to do was hold the safety a little bit and knew Easop was going to do the rest. He’s a good player and I love playing with him. I love when he’s in there for sure.”
Winston had just as much praise for Howell.
“I love the way he competed tonight,” Winston said. “That’s my guy on and off the field. We have talked about what we’re going to do every game, every practice. He has confidence in all the guys, and we have confidence in him. And he showed what type of quarterback he is.”
Sacks were a big issue for Howell last season in Washington, but he’s only been sacked four times in two games. He stepped up to avoid a sack on one play and fired a pass to A.J. Barner for a 17-yard completion.
Howell said the running game, led by Kenny McIntosh, helped balance Seattle’s offense.
“It starts up front with our O-line,” Howell said. “They played a really good football game. They were great in [the] pass game. They were great in the run game. We were moving those guys off the ball. K-Mac did a good job running the ball, and all the backs did. When we can establish the run game early on, it sets the tone and opens everything else up in the passing game.”
For the Titans, rookie Cedric Gray, who met up with Howell last week, remained inactive as he recovers from a shoulder injury. He’s still listed as the second-string right inside linebacker.
Howell was the second Tar Heel quarterback to shine during Week 3 of the exhibition season after Drake Maye was 6 of 11 for 47 yards and ran for a touchdown in New England’s 14–13 Thursday home loss to Philadelphia. Read more about his game here.
Minnesota running back Ty Chandler, Indianapolis wide receiver Josh Downs (recovering from a high ankle sprain), Houston offensive lineman Charlie Heck (plantar fasciitis) and Atlanta cornerback Mike Hughes didn’t play in their teams’ games.
Pittsburgh linebacker Cole Holcomb is on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list as he recovers from a left knee injury suffered last season.
Detroit wide receiver Antoine Green suffered a concussion in the Lions’ Week 1 exhibition game. The team waived Green and, after he cleared waivers, placed him on injured reserve.
In other action on Saturday, British Brooks ran for a pair of touchdowns in the Houston Texans’ 28–10 home win over the New York Giants. Read more about his game here.
Dyami Brown, Washington’s second-string left wide receiver, had three catches on three targets for 18 yards in the Commanders’ 13–6 Saturday loss at Miami. He played nine offensive snaps and three special-teams snaps.
Mitch Trubisky — Buffalo’s backup quarterback behind Josh Allen — led the Bills to a 9–3 victory at Pittsburgh, his former team, but had a rough game. In 26 snaps, he completed 9 of 13 passes for 86 yards, no touchdowns, one interception and a 55.3 passer rating.
In Denver’s 27–2 home Sunday win over Green Bay, Javonte Williams started and played nine snaps. He had three carries for 17 yards and one catch for 15 but had two touchdown receptions (a 14-yard play and a 13-yard play) called back. Andre Smith played a total of 13 snaps for the Broncos, tallying a tackle, two assists and forcing a fumble.
Mack Hollins, who made the tackle on that interception for the Bills, had two catches on two targets for seven yards, playing 15 snaps.
For the Steelers, Kyler McMichael has moved on the depth chart from fourth-string right corner back to third-string left cornerback. He had two tackles and two assists, playing 12 defensive snaps and four special-teams snaps.
Chazz Surratt started for the second consecutive game for the New York Jets. Surratt, the third-string middle linebacker, had six assists in 34 defensive snaps (also playing nine special-teams snaps) in the Jets’ 15–12 Saturday win at Carolina.
Michael Carter, listed as Arizona’s fifth-string running back, only got nine snaps in the Cardinals’ 21–13 Saturday loss at Indianapolis. He had only two carries for nine yards, including an 8-yard run, and one catch for 15 yards.
In the New York Giants’ 28–10 Saturday loss at Houston, offensive linemen Joshua Ezeudu (25 offensive snaps and two special-teams snaps) and Marcus McKethan (nine offensive snaps) both played off the bench, as did linebacker Tomon Fox (19 defensive snaps, two special-teams snaps).
For Houston, M.J. Stewart, the Texans’ third-string free safety, had two assists in 22 defensive snaps and also played six special-teams snaps.
Arizona rookie Myles Murphy, its fourth-string left defensive end, had no statistics but played 23 defensive snaps and two special-teams snaps in the Cardinals’ 21–13 Saturday loss at Indianapolis.
Second-year third-string left tackle Asim Richards played 35 offensive snaps and five special-teams snaps in Dallas’ 27–12 Saturday win at Las Vegas. Tomari Fox cleared waivers, and the Raiders have played him on injured reserve.
Vikings rookie Spencer Rolland, their third-string guard, played eight offensive snaps and five special-teams snaps in Minnesota’s 27–12 Saturday loss at Cleveland.
Tez Walker had another quiet exhibition for Baltimore. The Ravens’ second-string wide receiver was not targeted for a pass in his six offensive snaps during their 13–12 Saturday home win over Atlanta and also played a pair of special-teams snaps.
British Brooks, Houston Texans running back
Age 24 | 5–11, 225 | rookie NFL season | UNC 2018–23
Roster situation — Fourth-string running back
2023 statistics (UNC) — 12 games, 75 carries, 387 yards, 2 TDs; 2 catches, 14 yards
Exhibition opener — 21–17 loss Aug. 3 to Chicago in Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio; 1 carry, -2 yards; 1 target, no catches; 1 special-teams tackle
Week 1 exhibition — 20–12 win at Pittsburgh; 2 carries, 3 yards (3 longest); 4 offensive snaps (6%); 10 special-teams snaps (42%)
Week 2 exhibition — 28–10 home win over New York Giants; 5 carries, 23 yards (15 longest), 4.6 average, 2 touchdowns; 8 offensive snaps (11%), 9 special-teams snaps (39%)
Week 3 exhibition — 17–15 home win over Los Angeles Rams; 5 carries, 25 yards (15 longest); 1 catch on 1 target, 6 yards; 17 offensive snaps (24%), 16 special-teams snaps (64%)
Season opener — 1 p.m. Sunday at Indianapolis, CBS
Dyami Brown, Washington Commanders wide receiver
Age 24 | 6–0, 195 | fourth NFL season | UNC 2018–20
Roster situation — Starting right wide receiver
2023 statistics — 17 games, 1 start; 12 catches, 164 yards (35 longest), 1 TD; 1 rush, 0 yards; 1 assist; 2 special-teams tackles; 1 special-teams assist; 1 of 1 passing, 4 yards, 83.3 passer rating
Week 1 exhibition — 20–17 loss at New York Jets; started; 2 catches on 3 targets, 55 yards (42 longest), 19 offensive snaps (27%), 3 special-teams snaps (11%)
Week 2 exhibition — 13–6 loss at Miami; started; 3 catches on 3 targets, 18 yards (8 longest); 9 offensive snaps (12%); 3 special-teams snaps (11%)
Week 3 exhibition — 20–10 win vs. New England; didn’t play
Season opener — 4:25 Sunday at Tampa Bay, Fox
Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings running back
Age 26 | 5–11, 204 | third NFL season | UNC 2021
Roster situation — First-string kick returner behind Kene Nwangwu; second-string running back behind Aaron Jones
2023 statistics — 17 games, 102 carries, 461 yards (31 longest), 3 TDs; 21 catches, 159 yards (19 longest); 4 kick returns, 97 yards (33 longest), 24.2 average; 1 tackle
Week 1 exhibition — 24–23 win vs. Las Vegas: started; 7 carries, 33 yards (16 longest); 0 catches on 2 targets; 15 offensive snaps (23%)
Week 2 exhibition — 27–12 win at Cleveland; didn’t play
Week 3 exhibition — 26–3 win at Philadelphia; didn’t play
Season opener — 1 p.m. Sunday at New York Giants, Fox
Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts wide receiver
Age 23 | 5–9, 171 | second NFL season | UNC 2020–22
Roster situation — Starting slot wide receiver ahead of Anthony Gould
2023 statistics — 17 games, 7 starts; 68 catches, 771 yards (59 longest), 2 TDs; 2 tackles; 6 punt returns, 63 yards, 10.5 average (14 longest), 6 fair catches; 2 kickoff returns, 24 yards, 12.0 average, 1 fair catch
Week 1 exhibition — 34–30 loss vs. Denver: didn’t play
Week 2 exhibition — 21–13 home win over Arizona; didn’t play
Week 3 exhibition — 27–14 win at Cincinnati; ; didn’t play (high left ankle sprain; could return for opener)
Season opener — 1 p.m. Sunday vs. Houston, CBS
Storm Duck, Miami Dolphins cornerback
Age 23 | 6–0, 195 | rookie NFL season | UNC 2019–22
Roster situation — Third-string right cornerback
2023 statistics — 17 games, 1 start; 12 catches, 164 yards (35 longest), 1 TD; 1 rush, 0 yards; 1 assist; 2 special-teams tackles; 1 special-teams assist; 1 of 1 passing, 4 yards, 83.3 passer rating
Week 1 exhibition — 20–13 win vs. Atlanta; 1 tackle, 1 pass defended
Week 2 exhibition — 13–6 win vs Washington; 2 tackles 1 assist, 1 pass defended
Week 3 exhibition — 24–14 loss at Tampa Bay; 22 defensive snaps (42%); 9 special-teams snaps (39%)
Season opener — 1 p.m. Sunday vs. Jacksonville, CBS
Joshua Ezeudu, New York Giants offensive lineman
Turns 25 Sept. 19 | 6–4, 310 | third NFL season | UNC 2016–21
Roster situation — Second-string left tackle behind Thomas Andrew
2023 statistics — 6 games, 5 starts
Week 1 exhibition — 14–3 win vs. Detroit: Started at left tackle, played 32 offensive snaps (55%), 2 special-teams snaps (9%)
Week 2 exhibition — 28–10 loss at Houston; played off the bench; 25 offensive snaps (40%), 2 special-teams snaps (9%)
Week 3 exhibition — 10–6 loss at New York Jets; started at left tackle; 29 offensive snaps (43%); 1 special-teams snap (4%)
Season opener — 1 p.m. Sunday vs. Minnesota, Fox
Amari Gainer, Las Vegas Raiders linebacker
Age 24 | 6–3, 235 | rookie NFL season | UNC 2023
Roster situation — Fourth-string weakside linebacker
2023 statistics (UNC) — 13 games, 27 tackles (17 solo), 2.5 sacks, 2 passes defended, 1 forced fumble
Week 1 exhibition — 24–23 loss at Minnesota: 2 tackles, 1 special-team tackle; 19 defensive snaps (30%); 16 special-teams snaps (52%)
Week 2 exhibition — 27–12 home loss to Dallas; 1 tackle, 2 assists, 1 pass defended; 25 defensive snaps (42%); 15 special-teams snaps (60%)
Week 3 exhibition — 24–24 tie vs. San Francisco; started; 10 tackles (2 for loss), 2 assists, 1 special-teams assist; 75 defensive snaps (100%), 14 special-teams snaps (50%)
Season opener — 4:05 Sunday at Los Angeles Chargers, CBS
Mack Hollins, Buffalo Bills wide receiver
Turns 31 Sept. 16 | 6–4, 221 | eighth NFL season | UNC 2013–16
Roster situation — Starting left wide receiver ahead of Keon Coleman
2023 statistics (Atlanta) — 14 games, 3 starts; 18 catches, 30 targets, 251 yards (45 longest), 3 catches of at least 20 yards, 1 catch of at least 40 yards; 3 special-teams tackles; 1 assist
Week 1 exhibition — 33–6 loss vs. Chicago: didn’t play
Week 2 exhibition — 9–3 win at Pittsburgh; started; 2 catches on 2 targets, 7 yards (4 longest); 1 tackle after Mitch Trubisky interception; 15 offensive snaps (27%)
Week 3 exhibition — 31–26 home loss to Carolina; didn’t play
Season opener — 1 p.m. Sunday vs. Arizona, CBS
Sam Howell, Seattle Seahawks quarterback
Turns 24 Sept. 16 | 6–1, 225 | 3rd NFL season | UNC 2019–21
Roster situation — Second-string QB behind Geno Smith
2023 statistics (Washington) — 17 games, 17 starts; 388 of 612, 63.4%, 3,946 yards (51 longest), 21 touchdowns, 21 interceptions, 78.9 passer rating; 1 two-point conversion completion; 48 carries, 263 yards (24 longest), 5.5 average, 5 TDs
Week 1 exhibition — 16–3 win at Los Angeles Chargers: started; 16 of 26, 130 yards (26 longest), 1 TD, 2 sacks for 13 yards, 89.9 passer rating; 4 carries, 17 yards (14 longest); 57 offensive snaps (70%)
Week 2 exhibition — 16–15 loss at Tennessee; started; 11 of 14, 153 yards (33 longest), 1 TD, 0 interceptions, 136 passer rating, 2 sacks for 12 yards; 2 carries, 11 yards (6 longest); 1 fumble (not lost); 28 offensive snaps (64%)
Week 3 exhibition — 37–33 home win over Cleveland; 6 of 9, 45 yards (12 longest) , 2 sacks for 5 yards, 78.5 passer rating; 3 carries, 19 yards (8 longest); 24 offensive snaps (47%)
Season opener — 4:05 Sunday vs. Denver, CBS
Mike Hughes, Atlanta Falcons cornerback
Age 27 | 5–10, 191 | seventh NFL season | UNC 2015
Roster situation — Starting left cornerback ahead of Clark Phillips III
2023 statistics — 15 games, 3 starts, 20 tackles, 13 solo, 7 assists, 2 tackles for losses; 11 punt returns, 67 yards (16 longest), 6 fair catches; 3 kickoff returns, 46 yards (19 longest), 15.3 average
Week 1 exhibition — 20–13 loss at Miami; didn’t play
Week 2 exhibition — 13–12 loss at Baltimore; didn’t play
Week 3 exhibition — 31–0 home Friday loss to Jacksonville; didn’t play
Season opener — 1 p.m. Sunday vs. Pittsburgh, Fox
Drake Maye, New England Patriots quarterback
Turns 22 Aug. 30 | 6–4, 225 | rookie NFL season | UNC 2021–23
Roster situation — Second-string QB behind Jacoby Brissett
2023 statistics (UNC) — 12 games, 269 of 425, 3,608 yards, 24 TDs, 9 INTs; 12 carries, 112 yards, 9 TDs; 2 punts, 40.5 average
Week 1 exhibition — 17–3 win vs. Carolina: Played second series; 2 of 3 for 19 yards (13 longest), 84.0 passer rating; 6 offensive snaps (9%)
Week 2 exhibition — 14–13 loss vs. Philadelphia; played two quarters; 6 of 11 for 47 yards (23 longest), 0 TDs, 0 INTs; 4 carries, 15 yards (6 longest), 1 TD, 65.3 passer rating; 1 sack, 8-yard loss; 24 offensive snaps (43%)
Week 3 exhibition — 20–10 loss at Washington; 13 of 20, 126 yards (29 longest), 1 TD, 0 INTs, 99.2 passer rating; 3 carries, 17 yards (17 longest); 32 offensive snaps (43%)
Season opener — 1 p.m. Sunday at Cincinnati, Fox
Asim Richards, Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman
Turns 24 Oct. 2 | 6–4, 307 | second NFL season | UNC 2019–22
Roster situation — Second-string left tackle
2023 statistics — 7 games; 39 offensive snaps, 32 special-teams snaps
Week 1 exhibition — 13–12 loss at Los Angeles Rams; started at left guard; 50 offensive snaps (70%), 5 special-teams snaps (25%)
Week 2 exhibition — 27–12 win at Las Vegas; started at left guard; 35 offensive snaps (58%); 5 special-teams snaps (20%)
Week 3 exhibition — 26–19 home loss to Los Angeles Chargers; started at left guard; 97 offensive snaps (100%), 3 special-teams snaps (11%)
Season opener — 4:25 Sunday at Cleveland, Fox
M.J. Stewart, Houston Texans safety
Age 28 | 5–11, 205 | seventh NFL season | UNC 2014–17
Roster situation — Second-string strong safety
2023 statistics — 8 games, 1 start, 22 tackles (13 solo), 1 forced fumble; finished season on injured reserve with a shoulder fracture
Exhibition opener — 21–17 loss to Chicago in Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio; started; 1 tackle, 2 assists; 19 defensive snaps (54%), 5 special-teams snaps (24%)
Week 1 exhibition — 20–12 win at Pittsburgh; 2 assists; 22 defensive snaps (37%), 6 special-teams snaps (25%)
Week 2 exhibition — 28–10 home win over New York Giants; didn’t play
Week 3 exhibition — 17–15 home win over Los Angeles Rams; didn’t play
Season opener — 1 p.m. Sunday at Indianapolis, CBS
Chazz Surratt, New York Jets linebacker
Age 27 | 6–2, 233 | fourth NFL season | UNC 2017–20
Roster situation — Third-string middle linebacker
2023 statistics — 11 games, 1 assist, 6 special-teams tackles, 1 special-teams assist
Week 1 exhibition — 20–17 win vs. Washington: started; 2 tackles, five assists; 32 defensive snaps (45%); 10 special-teams snaps (37%)
Week 2 exhibition — 15–12 win at Carolina; started; 6 assists; 34 defensive snaps (64%); 9 special-teams snaps (38%)
Week 3 exhibition — 10–6 win vs. New York Giants; started; 5 assists; 21 defensive snaps (31%), 7 special-teams shaps (29%)
Season opener — 8:20 Monday at San Francisco, ESPN, ABC
Mitch Trubisky, Buffalo Bills quarterback
Age 30 | 6–2, 220 | eighth NFL season | UNC 2014–16
Roster situation — Second-string QB behind Josh Allen
2023 statistics (Pittsburgh) — 5 games, 67 of 107 (62.6%), 632 yards, 5.9 average; (26 longest), 4 TDs, 5 INTs, 1 two-point conversion completion, 71.9 passer rating; 16 rushes, 54 yards (15 longest), 3.4 average
Week 1 exhibition — 33–6 loss vs. Chicago: 10 of 18, 82 yards (19 longest), 0 TDs, 0 INTs, 67.4 passer rating; 3 carries, 12 yards (7 longest); 30 offensive snaps (44%)
Week 2 exhibition — 9–3 win at Pittsburgh; started; 9 of 13, 86 yards (27 longest), 0 TDs, 1 interception, 2 sacks, 21 yards, 55.3 passer rating; 1 carry, 1 yard; 26 offensive snaps (46%)
Week 3 exhibition — 31–26 home loss to Carolina; didn’t play
Season opener — 1 p.m. Sunday vs. Arizona, CBS
Tez Walker, Baltimore Ravens wide receiver
Age 23 | 6–1, 198 | rookie NFL season | UNC 2023
Roster situation — Second-string right wide receiver behind Rashod Bateman
2023 statistics (UNC) — 8 games, 41 catches, 699 yards, 7 TDs; 3 carries, 23 yards
Week 1 exhibition — 16–13 loss vs. Philadelphia: 0 catches on 1 target; 19 offensive snaps (39%), 4 special-teams snaps (16%)
Week 2 exhibition — 13–12 win vs. Atlanta; played, not targeted for a pass; 6 offensive snaps (10%), 2 special-teams snaps (9%)
Week 3 exhibition — 30–7 loss at Green Bay: 1 catch on 2 targets, 4 yards; 1 tackle after an interception; 24 offensive snaps (46%), 5 special-teams snaps (21%)
Season opener — 8:20 Thursday at Kansas City, NBC, Peacock
Javonte Williams, Denver Broncos running back
Age 24 | 5–10, 220 | fourth NFL season | UNC 2018–20
Roster situation — Starting running back ahead of Samaje Perine
2023 statistics — 16 games, 14 starts; 217 carries, 774 yards (21 longest), 3.6 average, 3 TDs; 47 catches, 50 targets, 228 yards (18 longest), 2 TDs; 2-point conversion run; 2-point conversion reception
Week 1 exhibition — 34–30 win at Indianapolis: started; 4 carries, 15 yards (7 longest); 1 catch on 3 targets, 5 yards; 9 offensive snaps (11%)
Week 2 exhibition — 27–2 home win vs. Green Bay: Started; 3 carries, 17 yards (8 longest); 1 catch on 1 target, 15 yards; had a 14-yard touchdown reception and a 13-yard touchdown reception called back because of penalties; 9 offensive snaps (15%)
Week 3 exhibition — 38–12 home win vs. Arizona; didn’t play
Season opener — 4:05 Sunday at New York Giants, CBS
On PUP list
Pittsburgh linebacker Cole Holcomb (recovering from left knee injury)
On injured reserve
Tennessee linebacker Cedric Gray (shoulder)
Detroit wide receiver Antoine Green (concussion)
Las Vegas defensive tackle Tomari Fox
On practice squad
Arizona running back Michael Carter
New York Giants linebacker Tomon Fox
Waived during training camp
Offensive lineman Charlie Heck by the Houston Texans
Offensive lineman Marcus McKethan by the New York Giants
Cornerback Kyler McMichael by the Pittsburgh Steelers
Defensive end Myles Murphy by the Arizona Cardinals
Offensive lineman Spencer Rolland by the Minnesota Vikings
Linebacker Andre Smith by the Denver Broncos
Photo via @Seahawks
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