22 August 2023 , 11:00
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Efe Obada believes it is ‘now or never’ for the Washington Commanders to push forward now that the NFC East franchise announced Sam Howell as starting quarterback for 2023.
Obada, the first player to go straight from a European football league to the NFL, is looking to return to the playoffs for the first time since spending the 2021 season with the Buffalo Bills. His Commanders went 8-8-1 last season, finishing bottom of the remarkably competitive NFC East.
The Washington franchise have endured an interesting offseason. Amid the backdrop of disgraced former owner Dan Snyder finally selling the team to the Josh Harris-led consortium, Howell won the starting quarterback job. With Ron Rivera leading the Commanders once again, Obada praised his defensive line brethren and insisted he is ready for the 2023 season to get underway.
“I am excited, man," Obada told Mirror Sport at the start of training camp. "Our defense are dogs. Our defense is hungry for sacks and success. We’ve got Chase Young back. We’ve got Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen, [Montez Sweat], myself. We’ve got so many guys that are willing to do the dirty work.
“We’ve bolstered the secondary. On offense, our receiver room is stacked; it’s unmatched. We’ve also now got a quarterback that we can galvanise and rally behind. It should all come together. We have a coach who has been to the Super Bowl before, so we’re going to learn from him and see what experience he brings to the table.
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“It’s really a now or never situation - and everybody’s bought in.”
It was intriguing to hear Obada speak glowingly about Howell, who was officially named the Commanders’ starting quarterback for the 2023 season on Friday. The 22-year-old, who set school records for most touchdown passes in a single season as well as career passing yards and touchdown passes at North Carolina, has plenty of weapons at his disposal.
Washington feature the likes of Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, and Curtis Samuel at receiver while Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson are in the running back room. The offense will also be masterminded by heralded offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who helped the Kansas City Chiefs win a pair of Super Bowls alongside Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. It is easy to see why Obada is excited about the Washington offense in 2023.
Efe Obada is looking to sack three quarterbacks in particular in 2023 (AP)However, there is a lot to like about Obada’s own unit. As the defensive end said, the Commanders' defense will welcome a fully fit Chase Young back into the fold while Daron Payne will look to follow up his 11.5 sacks from 2022. Meanwhile, the Commanders have steadily built one of the most promising secondaries to go alongside the defensive line the franchise have so heavily invested in.
Washington have three starting cornerbacks in rookie Emmanuel Forbes and Kendall Fuller and Benjamin St-Juste along with another rookie Quan Martin. The safeties are also impressive; Kamren Curl, Darrick Forrest, Percy Butler and Jeremy Reaves pad out a deep and talented group.
The defensive line is where the Commanders will ultimately look to eat offenses and Obada is ready to get his fill. Back in 2020, Obada sacked the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Tom Brady in quick succession. With 15 career sacks to his name, the 31-year-old listed the key names sitting atop his list of quarterbacks he wants to take down in 2023.
“We’ve got a preseason game after joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens, so I would love to compete and get Lamar Jackson,” Obada said with a smile. “As always, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen are near the top of my list, but to be honest every single quarterback in the league would be nice! But they’re my top three.”
Obada’s Commanders welcome the Arizona Cardinals to FedExField in Week 1 on 10 September.