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Alex Smith and the Washington Redskins first team offense had another incomplete night. After attempting just six passes through the first two preseason games, the Week 3 dress rehearsal against the Denver Broncos should have provided more substance to what the Redskins now have at offense, however, after a couple of series, the observation of Smith and the passing game is still incomplete.
Smith finished the night 3-of-8 passing for 33 yards with a passer rating of 50.5. He also took a sack where he ran right into the arms of Broncos defensive end Adam Gotsis.
Smith misfired on a short pass to Kapri Bibbs coming out the flat. Smith also misfired on a post route down the field intended for Vernon Davis. Smith’s quick throws were covered for the most part by the good Broncos defense forcing him to shuffle the deck quite a bit.
When Smith exited the game with roughly five minutes left in the first half, it was clear that he and the Redskins first team offense did not look regular season ready.
Preseason brings an array of motives for each team. Considering the Redskins have a new starting quarterback for the first time in four years and new top wide receiver, there’s a yearn to see more than what’s been displayed in the first three preseason games. The starters won’t play in Thursday’s preseason finale and while they’ve had training camp and practices to jell, there won’t be a complete observation of them until the games matter starting at Arizona on Sept. 9.
In all, Smith is now 7-of-14 passing (50% completion rate) for 81 yards in the preseason. Those numbers draw a 67.9 quarterback rating.
To be fair, tight end Jordan Reed has not played at all in preseason. Neither has running back Chris Thompson. And the reps of top wide receivers Jamison Crowder, Josh Doctson, and Paul Richardson have been scarce if not any. However, while other teams are at the very least getting a feel of what they have in their top offensive units with live game action, the Redskins have come away with an incomplete grading.
Not sure if Alex Smith is done for the night, but nothing about his performance or the Redskins' passing game looked regular-season ready.
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) August 25, 2018
It’s been a common narrative in recent years under Jay Gruden with his first team offense. The sputtering and kinks in the armor have spilled over to the start of the regular season far too often. And forgive anyone that is not buying the “it’s just preseason” narrative, because it’s been seen before. After watching what was on display on Friday night in FedEx Field, there is more pessimism than optimism about the Redskins offense aside from Adrian Peterson making a strong statement to be the featured running back.
But it should be considered Smith is a veteran entering his 14th year in the NFL, and he has been through a grocery list of offensive coordinators in his career. He has the intelligence and intangibles to lead and correct a lot on the fly. Also, keep in mind the Redskins’ motivation was getting through the preseason healthy, especially after seeing three prominent contributors at running back go down to injuries in the first two preseason games.
It’s anyone guess what will be seen Week 1 in Arizona. Given the casual approach by Smith and the Redskins in the preseason, what they are won’t be known until then.
