November 18, 2018. The day Alex Smith broke his right tibia and fibula. Since then, Smith has gone under the knife 17 times and nearly lost his life because of an infection. Now, he's back on the football field and according to trainers, he "looked good."
Last week, Smith was cleared to return to football activities and immediately stepped on the football field to work with trainers. According to sources, after four consecutive days of on-field workouts, he did not suffer any setbacks.
Despite passing his physical, the team put Smith on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List. Head coach Ron Rivera spoke on the situation, "We got a bit of good news that he passed the physical. As far as his doctors were concerned, he could resume football activity, and now, he’s got to pass the football physical for us," Rivera said. "And if that happens, again, I think this is a guy that becomes part of our equation."
The injury Smith suffered isn't the first time Washington fans have seen it. Joe Theismann suffered the same exact injury, on the same exact day by a three time defensive player of the year (Lawrence Taylor), while missing his Pro Bowl left tackle. The game in both instances also ended 23-21 (Washington won in 1985 but lost in 2018).
The other quarterbacks on the roster are second year QB Dwayne Haskins and new free agent signee Kyle Allen. Should Smith be cleared to return to action, he will have an opportunity to compete for the starting job.
PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES