Redskins' Alex Smith No Longer Needs Leg Brace Amid Rehab of Major Injury

Alex Smith just hit in important milestone in his rehab.

The Washington Redskins quarterback shed his leg brace about eight months after a gruesome leg injury during the 2018 season:

Smith spent four weeks in the hospital after getting multiple surgeries to heal his broken tibia and fibula. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported in January the team was planning for him to miss the entire 2019 season.

Although the injury appeared to be career-threatening, Smith plans to work his way back onto the field.

"That's the plan," Smith said last month on The Oh My Goff Show, (h/t Kevin Patra of NFL.com). "That's the plan. Steps. I've got to conquer some more steps before I get there. Learn to run again. That's a big one. I'm already throwing. I already feel like throwing is not a problem. I feel like I can throw. But dropping, moving around, all that kind of stuff, change of direction."

The fact that he no longer needs his brace is an encouraging sign that his rehab is going well.

With that said, the Redskins have spent the offseason building up their depth chart without Smith.

Washington drafted Ohio State's Dwayne Haskins in the first round as the potential quarterback of the future, also acquiring Case Keenum in a trade for depth. Colt McCoy is expected to compete for a role on the team as well.