Commanders News: Sam Howell, Logan Thomas, Efe Obada and Ron Rivera

Commanders QB Sam Howell lauds Taylor Heinicke

Sunday's game at the Atlanta Falcons sees a reunion between the Washington Commanders and Taylor Heinicke. The quarterback became a fan favorite during his time with the franchise and even looked like he could be a potential long-term starting option at one point before things tailed off.

The Commanders wanted Heinicke to stay, but he decided to take his chances with his hometown team. And with pressure mounting on quarterback Desmond Ridder, it might not be much longer before Heinicke gets his shot once again.

When discussing Heinicke's influence, Sam Howell couldn't have been more complimentary about his old teammate via Nicki Jhabvala from The Washington Post. Of course, if it wasn't for the veteran's input, there's a good chance the former fifth-round selection wouldn't have started in Week 18 against the Dallas Cowboys to conclude his rookie campaign.

"Taylor's the best. Just being here with Taylor and just getting to learn from him. Obviously, last year was crazy with how everything kind of went down. But, yeah, just seeing how he is in person on a daily basis, he's such a good teammate, such a good guy, and everybody loves him. Just seeing how he goes about his life and how he goes about his job and playing the position, I definitely learned so much from him. He was just always someone that was so willing to help me learn. We definitely had a fun time. He's a great dude. We still talk every now and then, so it'll be fun to see him before the game."

- Sam Howell via X/Twitter

Howell's been one of the genuine bright spots for the Commanders this season. Had head coach Ron Rivera not gotten a prolonged look at the signal-caller before taking stock during the offseason, things might have been different.

And we can all thank Heinicke for that.