Alex has been cleared completely for contact. There are still things that need to be cleaned up, there’s still some rust. But if the opportunity comes down the line, we could see the official return to play of #11. @WashingtonNFL
— Julie Donaldson (@juliedonaldson_) September 5, 2020
It was a long shot for Smith to ever play football again, and he blew all expectations out of the water this offseason by officially making the 53-man roster in Washington.
When talking to the media after the deadline on Saturday, coach Ron Rivera explained that it was Smith’s passion to play again that cause him to decide to keep the QB on the roster, and Rivera now believes that, should the need arise, Smith will be ready to step into a game.
Rivera also revealed that Smith has taken part in 11 vs. 11 drills in practice this past week, which was the final hurdle in his recovery — seeing live-action with bodies flying around him. Rivera stated that this was a big mental step for Smith, who is now riding high.
We don’t know if Washington will ever need Smith to step in under center, with Dwayne Haskins winning the QB1 job, but we know that Rivera has the utmost confidence if he needs to.
