Alex Smith is “recovering nicely,” according to Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden, although the timeline is still yet undetermined for the quarterback.
The Washington Redskins gave a bit of good news concerning quarterback Alex Smith and his ongoing recovery from a horrible fractured leg suffered last fall. Head coach Jay Gruden told reporters that Smith was “recovering nicely” and gave a general update on Smith among several other injured players.
Smith went down with a horrific leg injury in a game against the Houston Texans last November and it was immediately clear that the fracture was much more serious than something straightforward. Immediate concerns were put forth that it might be a career-ending injury, and the rehabilitation process has been as slow as expected. Still Smith is making progress and Gruden gave generally good news about the former Kansas City Chiefs starter.
“Alex is recovering nicely. It’s slowly but surely,” said Gruden on Tuesday. “It’s going to be a little bit of time, but as soon as he’s able to, he’ll push it and get himself ready. We’ll just have to wait and see. It’s gonna be a pretty lengthy process for the most part, but once he’s able to go, he’ll be able to go, he’ll recover a lot quicker than people anticipate I’m sure.”
On Wednesday, even more information came out about how long Smith will have to wear an outer brace of sorts that he’s been seen with.
Jay Gruden says #Redskins QB Alex Smith will have his external fixator (the device that holds the broken bones in place) on for another month or so. The long road back continues for Smith.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) June 5, 2019
Smith served as the Chiefs starting quarterback for five seasons, from 2013 to 2017, before passing the torch to current starter Patrick Mahomes. Smith started the first five years of Andy Reid‘s tenure with the team and helped turn around the fortunes of a miserable franchise. The year before Smith was installed, the Chiefs had the first overall selection in the NFL Draft and finished with a league-low two wins. Once Smith arrived, the Chiefs were perennial playoff participants and even won their first playoff game in decades.
Smith was traded by the Chiefs to Washington in January, 2018, in exchange for cornerback Kendall Fuller and a third round pick.