Commanders switch QBs, go with Jacoby Brissett vs. 49ers

Another season, another quarterback carousel in Washington.

With two games to go in the season, the Commanders are switching to veteran backup Jacoby Brissett for Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, coach Ron Rivera said Wednesday. The move sends Sam Howell to the bench.

“We just think this is a good opportunity for him to watch,” Rivera said of Howell. “And I think Jacoby being the professional he is, and playing the way he has, he’s going to give Sam an opportunity to see some things. … I think this is another way for him to help Sam continue his growth.”

Rivera’s tenure has been defined by quarterback switching, as he’s used at least two starting quarterbacks in each of his four seasons with the team. Brissett will become the ninth quarterback to start a game under Rivera.

“I told [Howell] I just felt this was a good situation for him to take a breath,” Rivera said.

Brissett is on a one-year contract and will become a free agent after the season. The team is expected to have a new coach and general manager next year, casting doubt on the future of every player on the team.

One subplot is that the more the Commanders (4-11) win, the worse their position will be in next year’s draft, potentially costing them the ability to get top talent.

Rivera said Howell’s struggles can be chalked up, at least in part, to having taken a number of hits throughout a long season, his first as a full-time starter, and that the recent struggles don’t make the coach reconsider whether Howell can be a long-term starter in the National Football League.

“No, it doesn’t,” Rivera said. “He’s got a very good body of work. Things have gone relatively well early in the season and into the middle, but it’s been tough the last couple of weeks. The last few weeks have been tough on him. And he’s taken a lot of snaps. The length of the season … is probably wearing on him as well, as well as the number of plays he’s had and the number of hits he’s had to absorb.”

Rivera agreed with offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s recent assessment that Howell is pressing.

“Right now, you watch him and he’s trying to make the perfect play,” Rivera said. “I think he’s reading a little bit more into some of the things that he sees out there, and I think he’s just got to settle in and trust what he’s seeing initially and stick with the offense.”