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Alex Smith continues to progress in his recovery from an injury that was once deemed potentially career-ending.
The Washington Redskins quarterback made his first appearance at offseason team activities in late May, photographed playing casual catch and joking with teammates. Veteran tight end Vernon Davis subsequently said that though Smith is “doing really well” overall, he' still wearing an external fixator on his surgically-repaired right leg.
On Tuesday, Redskins coach Jay Gruden shared the latest update on his team's would-be starting quarterback, telling reporters that Smith is “recovering nicely” and could return sooner than many anticipate, per Tom Pellisero of NFL Network.
Gruden says Alex Smith is “recovering nicely”. Calls it a pretty lengthy process but thinks Smith will be back sooner than people think. Can he throw the football as seen in recent photo? Gruden smiles and cracks: “He can play catch.”
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 4, 2019
Smith suffered compound and spiral fractures to his right leg on November 18th when he was sacked by Houston Texans defenders J.J. Watt and Kareem Jackson. He remained hospitalized for the next several weeks due to post-surgery complications, including an aggressive infection that caused doctors to remove additional soft tissue from his leg. Though it was assumed from the beginning that Smith was a long-shot to play in 2019, reports began surfacing in January that his playing days were likely over.
Neither Smith nor the Redskins have released an official statement on his status in months.
Washington traded for veteran quarterback Case Keenum, who started with the Denver Broncos last season after a standout 2017 with the Minnesota Vikings, in March. The team then selected Ohio State signal-caller Dwayne Haskins with the 15th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, adding a player who was once considered a potential No. 1 overall pick to an offseason quarterback battle between Keenum and career backup Colt McCoy.
