Alex Smith’s playing career was put on hold after suffering a devastating leg injury in November. Smith has since underwent numerous surgeries and was recently seen wearing an external fixator around his broken right leg.
Redskins head coach Jay Gruden provided a brief update, saying Smith is “recovering nicely” and could return sooner than expected, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
With more surgeries likely ahead, Smith still has a long road to recovering from his broken fibula and tibia. The Redskins have operated with the assumption that Smith would not return to playing action in 2019. They traded for quarterback Case Keenum and drafted Dwayne Haskins with the first of their two first-round picks.
Gruden’s words of “sooner than people think” does not map out a specific time frame, of course.
Smith did appear at the Redskins’ OTAs practice last month and was seen throwing the football. Gruden referenced the photo the Redskins released, saying Smith can “play catch.”
For now, Smith is rehabbing and being an extra voice of mentoring to Keenum and Haskins as they go through a competition to see who will be the Redskins’ starting quarterback for the upcoming season.
We’ll have to wait and see how Smith’s future plays out with his injury and recovering.
