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Monday marked exactly one year since Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith fractured his lower leg in gruesome fashion against the Houston Texans, putting his career in the NFL in major doubt.
Looking back, he’s made remarkable progress.
After undergoing 17 surgeries and numerous infections, Smith is now running, throwing and working on other football preparations. At one point it was looking like Smith would never play football again after that fateful day; now it seems likely that he will take the field once again.
“I’m working on my own, doing some of that stuff, so it’s kind of the next phase in this,” Smith said, via Redskins.com. “It just feels good to be able to run and drop and throw.”
The details surrounding Smith’s recovery have been secretive over the past 12 months, but this past summer he declared that returning to the NFL was still the plan.
“I’ve never seen anything like the effort he’s pouring into his rehab,” interim head coach Bill Callahan said via Redskins.com. “It’s so impressive, and for him to be going out there in the stages he’s gone through, he’s got the ultimate respect from all of us.”
While there is still a long road to climb before he can put on a uniform once again and step out onto the field, the last 12 months have shown that Smith has the determination to do it and little will stand in his way.
“I’m hopeful for that,” Smith said. “I hope I never forget what this has been like to go through. I’m anxious to get back.”
Judging by the success he saw early in the 2018 season, fans of the Redskins are anxious to see him back as well.
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