D.J. Swearinger reverses course on Alex Smith trade

Now that the dust has settled on the Alex Smith trade, Washington Redskins defensive back D.J. Swearinger is walking back some of his initial comments.

D.J. Swearinger was understandably upset at first. Upon hearing the news that his team, the Washington Redskins, had traded not only a draft pick but his teammate and fellow defensive back Kendall Fuller to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a new starting quarterback in Alex Smith, Swearinger went public with his frustration.

Now that the dust has settled on the deal and emotions have subsided, Swearinger recently spoke out on NFL Network to walk back some of his frustrations. The Redskins safety says he’s “extremely over it” and even noted his own excitement to see what Smith can bring to the club.

"“I think we can be better,” Swearinger said. “I think we can be better. I don’t know what Alex as a leadership standpoint brings, but I hear he is a great player. I see he is a great player. He’s done a lot of great things in this league. A Pro Bowl guy and I can’t wait to get with him and get some championships going.”"

Originally Swearinger spoke on Twitter as news of the trade first broke to express his confusion and then frustration over the deal which sent a third round pick and Fuller to the Chiefs for Smith, who also signed a brand new four-year contract extension with Washington.

Even with his public comments on social media, the reality is that Swearinger was already walking much of that back via the same medium just one day later by welcoming his new quarterback to the club.

Smith will replace Kirk Cousins as Washington’s starting quarterback, who has a three-year record as the team’s starter of 24-23-1. Smith has won 50 games with the Chiefs over the last five seasons, including two straight AFC West titles, the first time in franchise history that the Chiefs won consecutive division titles.