Some 12s might have been hoping for a real quarterback battle in training camp this year. There are still several who doubt that Geno Smith will be a good quarterback, even though he has shown to be a pretty good one over the last couple of years, and those same people probably hoped Sam Howell might find a way to push Smith for QB1.

Any hopes of that happening ended quickly, though. Smith came into camp seemingly having a great grasp on Ryan Grubb’s new playbook, while Howell appeared lost. Worse, he struggled to throw passes accurately or on time.

Whatever general manager John Schneider thought he saw from Howell in 2023 when he was the starting quarterback for the Washington Commanders, Schneider had to begin to doubt his own senses. Howell did not just look like the clear QB2, he at times did not even appear to be someone who should make the roster.

One aspect of Howell’s game was never in doubt, at least. He moved around the pocket well and he could at times scramble out of danger. That works well for a high school quarterback, but NFL QBs need to throw their way out of danger quite a bit. Howell was not doing that early in camp.

This week, however, Howell appears to be having his best practices at camp. He is more sure of himself and not as hesitant with his throws. Wednesday might have been the best work he had in a Seahawks uniform as he tossed a couple of touchdowns, including a deep pass that was placed perfectly to receiver Laviska Shenault, Jr.

Some of Howell’s issues might be because he was running with the second-team offense, but even when Geno Smith missed a few practices with knee and hip issues, Howell did not suddenly become much better. That is until this week.

The great part for Howell is that he will probably get to showcase a lot of what he can do for Seattle when the Seahawks begin preseason play on Saturday against the Los Angeles Chargers. Smith might not play at all because there is no reason to risk him being hurt. Howell could play at least the entire first half.

If he does well, he isn’t going to chase down Smith to become QB1, of course, but he is going to make Schneider and the Seattle coaches feel a lot better about trading for him this offseason. If Howell struggles, though, Seattle might want to hope and pray that Smith stays healthy all year long.