Washington Redskins are planning for life without Alex Smith in 2019
By Matt Conner
The Washington Redskins are apparently going to circumvent any notion of having Alex Smith under center in 2019 given the uncertainty of his injury.
It’s not that Alex Smith has been told he will not play in 2019. It’s that the Washington Redskins simply cannot afford to count on him doing so.
Despite signing Smith to a lucrative four-year extension shortly after trading for him just one year ago, the Redskins are apparently moving on from Smith, per Ian Rapoport, as their assumed starting option given the nature of a recent open fracture to his leg and subsequent post-surgical infection.
Smith’s injury and ongoing infection concerns even after having surgery to fix the fracture have set back his timeline indefinitely. Apparently that is something that Redskins are unable or unwilling to live with.
One storyline to follow for 2019: The #Redskins are planning as if they won’t have QB Alex Smith next season, sources say. They believe he’ll miss the entire season with his broken leg issues and are acting accordingly. If he’s ready, they will be pleasantly surprised.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 27, 2019
Washington already has Colt McCoy under contract, but instead of pursuing some further help with McCoy to bide their time until Smith is ready, Rapoport’s latest report makes it clear they will likely draft a long-term replacement. The draft class is rather thin this year, but the Redskins could position themselves to take a quarterback early or even on Day 2 that they hope can eventually take over.
This also means that Washington could become significant players in the offseason quarterback market. If they wanted to pony up the draft assets to their NFC East rivals, they could pry Nick Foles free from the Philadelphia Eagles. Teddy Bridgewater should also be available as a free agent. Blake Bortles could be had from the Jacksonville Jaguars if they want a rebound candidate. Or maybe the Redskins will sign one of these players and draft a heralded rookie.
The Redskins have the luxury of taking their time, if they so desire, with Smith and his rehabilitation. The draft is not for a few months and free agency doesn’t begin for another six weeks. There’s little reason to decide to move on now—unless, that is, they wanted to serve notice to the rest of the NFL that they are players in the QB market.