Report: Alex Smith Out for WFT vs. Panthers with Injury; Dwayne Haskins to Start

Dwayne Haskins will start for the Washington Football Team in Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers.

Alex Smith was listed as questionable with a calf injury, and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported he "wasn't quite ready" to go.  

Smith is the front-runner for the Comeback Player of the Year Award after overcoming life-threatening complications from a leg injury suffered in November 2018 to play in the NFL again. He made his first start in nearly two years against the Detroit Lions in Week 10.

The first overall pick in the 2005 draft was sidelined again in Week 14 by a calf injury to the same right leg, but there were no further serious issues.

"No, no not at all. Nope, so yeah, that's all good news," Smith told reporters when asked if the injury was related to the leg break. "Everything down there looks great. Obviously, a freak thing that happened coincidentally to the same leg."

Haskins will now lead the Washington offense since Kyle Allen went on injured reserve in November.

Smith has proven himself an effective game manager throughout his NFL career. He hasn't thrown 10 or more interceptions in a season since 2010. So, while he might not be the long-term answer in Washington, he helps the offense in the immediate future.

Going to Haskins represents a downgrade based on how much the 2019 first-round pick has struggled under center.