When Atlanta Falcons welcome the Washington Commanders to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for their Week 6 matchup, it'll be a bittersweet moment for backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke. 

Heinicke will reunite with quarterback Sam Howell, whom he helped mentor last fall as the Commanders' starting QB.   

“Taylor’s the best,” Howell said during Wednesday's press conference. “Just being here with Taylor and just getting to learn from him. Obviously, last year was crazy with how everything kind of went down. Just seeing how he is as a person on a daily basis, he’s such a good teammate, such a good guy, and everybody loves him.”

It was a rough season for Heinicke as he led Washington to a 5-3-1 record before being benched in Week 16.

Despite the downfall, Howell could not be more thankful for getting the chance to learn from such a humble guy. 

“He was just always someone that was so willing to help me learn,” Howell said. “It was definitely a fun time, and he’s a great dude. We still talk every now and then, so it’ll be fun to see him before the game.”

The Commanders are 2-3 on the season so far and Howell has thrown for 1,349 yards with six touchdowns to six interceptions. 

While he's not necessarily off to a hot start, head coach Arthur Smith respects the chip on his shoulder.  

"I think Sam Howell has done a good job in there," Smith said this week. "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."

Heinicke spent three seasons in Washington before ultimately leaving for a two-year deal with the Falcons this past offseason. 

He had a chance to compete against second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder for the starting job in Atlanta but lost that battle. 

However, if Ridder can't build off of his career-high performance from last week, there's a good chance that Heinicke could see the field sooner, rather than later. 

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