Alex Smith Makes Washington's 53-Man Roster Amid Leg Injury Recovery

Washington quarterback Alex Smith made the team's final 53-man roster Saturday as he works to complete his recovery from a major leg injury suffered in November 2018.

"Mentally I think he's past the hurdle," Washington coach Ron Rivera said Saturday. "I'm fired up for what he can be."

ESPN's John Keim reported Smith, who missed the 2019 season, is likely to open the 2020 campaign as the team's No. 3 quarterback behind starter Dwayne Haskins Jr. and backup Kyle Allen, meaning he'll initially be inactive on game days.

Smith was injured when he was sacked during a game against the Houston Texans.

In an interview that aired Feb. 1, the 36-year-old Seattle native told ESPN's Jeremy Schaap he awoke from sedation—doctors were treating his pain and sepsis, a potentially life-threatening condition—to a question about amputating his leg or undergoing more surgeries with the hope of saving the limb.

He said he decided for doctors to try to save his leg, and the focus shifted from playing football again to trying to maximize his quality of life for the future. As time went on, an NFL return came back into the picture. He told Schaap he's ready for the opportunity.

"There's enough there that I can go out there and play. ... Knowing that, yeah, failure is a possibility ... I need to prove that I can come back and play quarterback in the NFL, and if I can do that, that would be great and it'll get figured out," Smith said.

Smith was cleared for football activity in July and took part in practices in recent weeks. While he hasn't gone through 11-on-11 sessions in pads, the coaching staff was "pleased" with his movement in the other drills, per Keim.

Smith has three seasons left on the four-year, $94 million contract extension he signed with the Washington Football Team in 2018.

The University of Utah product ranks 19th among active quarterbacks in passer rating (87.3), per Pro Football Reference.

Washington will open the regular season Sept. 13 when it hosts the Philadelphia Eagles at FedExField.