One other season, one other quarterback carousel in Washington.

With two video games to go within the season, the Commanders are switching to veteran backup Jacoby Brissett for Sunday’s sport towards the San Francisco 49ers, coach Ron Rivera mentioned Wednesday. The transfer sends Sam Howell to the bench.

“We simply assume this can be a good alternative for him to observe,” Rivera mentioned of Howell. “And I feel Jacoby being the skilled he’s, and taking part in the way in which he has, he’s going to offer Sam a chance to see some issues. … I feel that is one other manner for him to assist Sam proceed his development.”

Rivera’s tenure has been outlined by quarterback switching, as he’s used at the very least two beginning quarterbacks in every of his 4 seasons with the crew. Brissett will change into the ninth quarterback to begin a sport below Rivera.

“I instructed [Howell] I simply felt this was a great scenario for him to take a breath,” Rivera mentioned.

Brissett is on a one-year contract and can change into a free agent after the season. The crew is predicted to have a brand new coach and normal supervisor subsequent 12 months, casting doubt on the way forward for each participant on the crew.

One subplot is that the extra the Commanders (4-11) win, the more severe their place might be in subsequent 12 months’s draft, doubtlessly costing them the flexibility to get high expertise.

Rivera mentioned Howell’s struggles might be chalked up, at the very least partially, to having taken quite a few hits all through a protracted season, his first as a full-time starter, and that the current struggles don’t make the coach rethink whether or not Howell is usually a long-term starter within the Nationwide Soccer League.

“No, it doesn’t,” Rivera mentioned. “He’s received an excellent physique of labor. Issues have gone comparatively effectively early within the season and into the center, however it’s been robust the final couple of weeks. The previous few weeks have been robust on him. And he’s taken plenty of snaps. The size of the season … might be sporting on him as effectively, in addition to the variety of performs he’s had and the variety of hits he’s needed to take in.”

Rivera agreed with offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s current evaluation that Howell is urgent.

“Proper now, you watch him and he’s making an attempt to make the right play,” Rivera mentioned. “I feel he’s studying slightly bit extra into a number of the issues that he sees on the market, and I feel he’s simply received to settle in and belief what he’s seeing initially and persist with the offense.”