Commanders News: Eric Bieniemy, Sam Howell, Emmanuel Forbes and next man up

High praise for Commanders QB Sam Howell

Amid all the doom and gloom, one real positive remains that the Washington Commanders can hang their hat on moving forward. Sam Howell's been a revelation over five weeks, displaying the traits normally associated with highly productive NFL quarterbacks and finally providing Ron Rivera with a consistent presence under center.

Howell will be the first to admit it's not perfect and the results are all that matter. But one couldn't have asked any more from the inexperienced signal-caller to date and hopefully, this is a trend that can continue long into the future.

The former fifth-round pick's impressive growth isn't going unnoticed by those around the league. When asked about Howell, Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith couldn't have been more complimentary based on his thoughts via Sports Illustrated.

"I think Sam Howell has done a good job in there. You know what the numbers are. He’s tougher than hell. I think he’s very accurate, but he’ll sit in there. You have to respect that. I knew a lot about Sam just following him. Big recruit going to North Carolina. Broke a lot of records there. Vertical passer. You can see it now - he throws a very accurate deep ball. I think he’s tougher than hell. He’s resilient. He’s a smart football player. We have a lot of respect for Sam."

- Arthur Smith via Sports Illustrated

Howell is gaining respect from other NFL teams, which is immensely positive so soon into his starting journey. If the same trend continues in the weeks ahead, the Commanders can relax safe in the knowledge they boast a franchise-caliber quarterback at last.