Washington head coach Ron Rivera has been “pleasantly surprised” with the progress of quarterback Alex Smith who is trying to recover from a broken fibula and tibia suffered in November 2018 that required 17 surgeries, according to ESPN’s John Keim.
Smith has looked so good that the first-year Washington head coach could envision Smith becoming a part of the quarterback competition.
There are still some hurdles to clear for Smith ad Washington has not yet cleared him for football activity and the team has placed him on the physically unable to perform list before camp.
“He’s looked good, he really has,” Rivera said of Smith. “It’s been exciting to watch his progression. He’s looked very fluid. It’s a tribute to who he is, a tribute to his trainers and his doctors to get to where he is today.”
“The big thing is if he can do the things we need him to do, that he needs to do to help himself on the field,” Rivera said. “He’ll be part of the conversation most definitely. … We’ll see how he is this week.
“It’s a matter of: Can he do the movements he needs to do? Can he protect himself when on the field? He’s going to have to hand the ball off, drop back in the pocket and throw the ball. He’s going to have to escape. We have to make sure he can do those things and protect himself as he plays.”
Rivera said Dwayne Haskins, who took the reigns as the starter last season, isn’t far behind in his knowledge of the playbook, and has had a strong offseason, per reports.
“He’s done a great job studying and preparing and getting himself ready,” Rivera said of Haskins. “He’s been great. He’s been on the field doing things asked of him. He’s done the extra stuff he and I talked about in the offseason. He’s done the things I think put him right there where he needs to be at this junction. He’s done the job that I think deserves recognition.”
