Ex Seattle Seahawks Scout Hopes QB Competition 'Opens Up'

Geno Smith remanis the Seattle Seahawks' starter after taking a bit of a step back last season, but it's clear that his margin for error is significantly smaller now.

Back in March, the Seahawks acquired Sam Howell in a trade with the Washington Commanders to be their new backup quarterback. Howell had an up-and-down first season as a starter, but it's important to remember that he threw a league-high 612 passes and had very little help around him. Additionally, he still has plenty of room to grow as he's just 23 years old, younger than several quarterbacks in this year's draft class.

Even with Howell in the mix and a new coaching staff taking over, the Seahawks remain committed to Smith as their starter.

While Howell may have a chance to start at some point, a former Seahawks scout hopes to see the competition open up right away. Jim Nagy, who served as Seattle's southeast area scout for five years and is now the executive director of the Senior Bowl, called for the Seahawks to keep a more-open mind in regards to quarterback. Nagy compared the situation to what the Seahawks went through in 2012, when a rookie Russell Wilson beat out veteran Matt Flynn for the starting gig.

“I really hope they open it up,” Nagy said on Seattle Sports' "Brock and Salk." “I hope it’s an open competition, similar to like when they had Russell and Matt Flynn. And I was with the Chiefs when Russell came in at Kansas City in the preseason and lit us up. … I would love to see a legitimate open competition and see where this thing comes out because I think Sam’s a starting quarterback in the league.”

At one point, Howell was considered one of the top quarterbacks in the 2022 NFL Draft and a potential first-round pick. However, a subpar 2021 season at North Carolina , partly due to other key players leaving, knocked him all the way down to the fifth round, so Washington was able to scoop him up at a bargain rate.

As previously mentioned, Howell had a very weak supporting cast in Washington, but a stronger one in Seattle could be just what he needs to thrive.

“I give Seattle a lot of credit that they went out and traded for a guy that they thought highly of through the draft process,” Nagy said. “You’ve got a guy who’s younger than some of these (QBs) that were in this draft class, who’s got all this game experience. … I’d just love to see him with a better supporting cast.”