Following the conclusion of the airing of ESPN’s “Project 11” Dwayne Haskins hoped those who watched gain appreciation for his teammate and mentor Alex Smith.
The ESPN documentary gave a glimpse into the hardship Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith faced following his devastating leg injury. The documentary was raw and did a great job illustrating the severity Smith faced after developing a flesh-eating bacterial infection that ravaged through his injured leg, nearly costing him his life.
Smith battled through 17 surgeries in total. He was refined to a wheelchair and an external fixator while rehabbing and battling back to some normalcy. Ultimately, he was able to return to the team in meeting rooms and helped the quarterbacks on the practice field.
Haskins said Smith has played a large role in mentoring him on aspects on and off the field — much like Smith did for Colin Kaepernick while with the San Francisco 49ers and Patrick Mahomes while with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Haskins and Smith will share the same facility in the upcoming season. While Smith’s focus will be rehabbing with dreams of resuming his playing career, he will certainly continue to mentor Haskins in his second year.
