Regardless of what’s being said officially or not, it’s apparent that Alex Smith has a long road to recovery from the compound fracture in his leg that broke his fibula and tibia. Meanwhile, the Washington Redskins are preparing for Smith to miss the entire 2019 season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Smith’s career is in jeopardy let alone the 2019 season, as John Keim of ESPN.com explained. So any news of the Redskins moving forward, especially addressing the quarterback position is no surprise.
Smith had a catastrophic injury on Nov. 11 when he was sacked during a Week 11 game against the Houston Texans. He underwent emergency surgery in large to prevent an infection with such an injury. Unfortunately, the urgent measures were to no avail, as Smith developed an infection. He underwent multiple surgeries to combat the infection, including the removal of plates placed in his leg to repair the injury.
He was hospitalized for a month before being released. Last Monday, he was spotted at the Washington Wizards’ game, wearing a large metal apparatus around his broken right leg. Speculation is the device which appears to be externally placed in his leg is for structural support.
Additional speculation suggests that he is subject to undergo additional surgical procedures including the removal of the external device that may include more structural repair to his leg.
Washington has a void at quarterback which was exemplified following Smith’s injury. Backup Colt McCoy, who is under contract for 2019, struggled before he too was lost for the season with a fractured fibula in his second start. The Redskins’ turn to Mark Sanchez was utter disaster, forcing the team to sign Josh Johnson, who showed glimpses in the final three starts of the season but largely showed why he had been on a dozen teams throughout his career.
The Redskins hold the No. 15 pick in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft and there is a chance that they could use the pick for a quarterback of the future. They could also look in free agency, however, Smith’s cap hold of $20.4 million may complicate their search on the open market.
For Smith all that matters is that he recovers for long-term health that goes beyond him returning to the football field. For the Redskins, they have to move forward not counting on any imminent return of Smith.
