The comeback tour continues for former Kansas City Chiefs starting QB Alex Smith and things are looking up.
Smith was placed on the PUP list to start training camp with the Washington Football Team. The continued progress made in his return from a devastating 2018 leg injury is nothing short of remarkable. The strides that he’s made so far has Washington HC Ron Rivera optimistic of Smth’s ability to participate in the ensuing quarterback competition. He’s crafting a plan to make the quarterback repetitions equitable if Smith is able to make his return from the PUP list.
“This could be a very interesting challenge for us because of Alex Smith,” Rivera said, via Washington Post reporter Nicki Jhabvala. “If Alex is healthy and continues to get healthy and we do activate him, he’s going to be in the throes of this competition. It’s going to unfold I think very nicely for us as a football team. This competition is only going to make you better, it’s going to push the young guys as well. So I just feel really good about what we’re going to be doing as we start going forward. It’ll be a very challenging situation to make sure everybody’s reps are equitable and their competition is the same.”
The fact that Smith has made enough progress that Rivera is preparing for his eventual return is a great sign. For anyone that saw the “Project 11” documentary on Smith’s injury and recovery, it’s nothing short of incredible that he’s been able to work himself back to where football is on the horizon.
Smith threw 205 passes for 2,180 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions prior to his injury with Washington in 2018. He added another 41 carries for 168 yards and touchdown on the ground.
Despite Smith’s previous success, he won’t simply be handed the job by Rivera and company. He’ll have to earn it in an open competition. Second-year QB Dwayne Haskins is excited to see Smith return, but he’s also excited about the challenge of competing.
“I’m excited for Alex,” Haskins said, via Jhabvala. “I hope he gets back to full 100 percent health. Whoever is in the quarterback room, I have to compete with, and even though he’s not really practicing with the offense, he’s still working hard, and even if we get to run against each other in competition and drills, I’m trying to make sure he gets me better and I get him better. We look at Alex as somebody who’s a mentor in the room that can help us every day as far as getting ready for who we’re playing each week and who we’re getting ready for next week.”
Haskins clearly has the right attitude about competing with and learning from Smith. He certainly isn’t oblivious to the fact that Smith is credited with much of the early success that current Chiefs starter Patrick Mahomes had in his career. It might even be best for Haskins in the long run if Smith wins the job.
As Haskins implied, these two aren’t yet competing in a head-to-head QB competition. Smith still needs to clear the hurdle of the PUP list. From the sounds of things, we shouldn’t be waiting much longer to see Smith make his true return.
[vertical-gallery id=74475]