Report: Washington Hopeful Alex Smith Will Return from Calf Injury vs. Panthers

The Washington Football Team is hopeful quarterback Alex Smith can play in Week 16's matchup vs. the Carolina Panthers, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network: 

Smith, 36, has had quite the year. He returned to football after a career- and life-threatening compound fracture to his right leg in 2018 and has played well for Washington, throwing for 1,420 yards, four touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 66.4 percent of his passes. Washington is 4-1 in his five starts.

More than a few folks around the NFL world were inspired by Smith's comeback:

"The more I've gotten to know Alex, the more competitiveness I've seen out of him," head coach Ron Rivera told reporters in November. "I think that's one of the biggest things is he is truly a competitor, and I think his return to football really was about competing with himself to get himself back on the football field. The dude's done a great job, he really has."

His comeback hasn't come without a few snags, however, as a calf injury in December cost him a game. Dwayne Haskins Jr. stepped in as the starter when Smith sat, though Rivera maintained that Smith would remain the starter when healthy.