Alex Smith takes another important step in his remarkable comeback.
What once looked like a career-ending injury is increasingly becoming just another massive hurdle for Alex Smith to overcome.
The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback is attempting to return to the field after a severe leg injury occurred in November, 2018 in Washington which not only ended his season but placed his career in jeopardy. From there, the danger cascaded into a life-threatening condition. These days, however, Smith is taking massive steps—meant literally and figuratively—toward claiming a very real spot on Washington’s active roster in 2020.
The most recent reports on Smith state that he “performed well” during workouts as the Washington Football Team attempts to prepare for the season:
"Speaking with sources close to the Washington Football Team, Smith participated in four consecutive days of on-field workouts with trainers and performed well. Perhaps more importantly, Smith suffered no setbacks after the on-field work."
Smith suffered a compound fracture in a game against the Houston Texans, meaning leg bones broke through the skin. He broke both his tibia and fibula in a spiral fracture, and the injury conjured comparisons to legendary Washington quarterback Joe Theismann, whose career ended in a very similar way.
From there, Smith’s very life was in danger from sepsis after undergoing surgeries to repair the broken leg. It’s miraculous that Smith wasn’t forced to lose his leg as well. It’s all part of the miracle that Smith is even attempting to come back to the sport he loves.
Last summer, Smith, who played for the Chiefs from 2013-2017, was coming along well enough in rehab to get back to “lifestyle sports.” It’s taken the last year to work himself back into game shape even further. Now in training camp with Washington, Smith is able to perform quarterback drills and keep up with player workouts without setbacks on consecutive days. That’s amazing.
From here, it’s impossible to know what Ron Rivera and company might think about Smith given that he hasn’t played a down in the NFL for well over a year. Given his age of 36 and the severity of his injury, the odds are likely still against him earning any role over former first round pick Dwayne Haskins. However, his very presence in training camp is a testament to his talent, his hard work, and his dedication.