Alex Smith Will Have External Fixator on for 1 More Month in Leg Injury Rehab
June 5, 2019
Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith will continue to wear an external fixator to secure the broken bones in his right leg for another month after suffering a serious injury in November.
Redskins head coach Jay Gruden provided the update Wednesday, per Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network.
David J. Chao of ProFootballDoc.com noted the latest information "confirms no football for 2019" but leaves the door open for Smith to return in future years.
Washington acquired the three-time Pro Bowl selection from the Kansas City Chiefs in a trade in March 2018.
Smith completed 62.5 percent of his throws for 2,180 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions across 10 appearances before suffering the season-ending injury. Pro Football Focus graded him as the league's 24th-best QB.
Although the 35-year-old University of Utah product is making progress toward an eventual return from the gruesome leg injury and remains under contract through 2022, the Redskins started looking toward the future by selecting Dwayne Haskins out of Ohio State with the 15th overall pick in the 2019 draft in April.
Haskins told reporters last month he's looking forward to acting like a "sponge" around Smith and the team's other veteran quarterbacks as a rookie:
"What was so key to my development at Ohio State was having J.T. Barrett there and having guys like Alex Smith or Colt McCoy or Case Keenum, guys that have been here in the League for a very long time. They know what it looks like, know what it takes, something I can look on and lean on as far as information and how to be a pro. So just to have those guys in the room with me is going to help me out a lot."
If Haskins develops as the Washington front office anticipates based on its first-round investment, there probably won't be a roster spot available for Smith in 2020.
His continued progress suggests it's possible he could return to the field sometime next year, though.