The Washington Football Team activated quarterback Alex Smith off the Physically Unable to Perform list on Saturday, sources told NBC Sports Washington.
Smith's story of perseverance and hard work to return from an infected compound fracture in his leg that required 17 surgeries is absolutely remarkable. It will make a gripping movie someday.
But right now it creates a problem in Washington.
Like it or not, the Burgundy and Gold now have a full-fledged quarterback competition.
Full-fledged.
"If Alex is healthy and continues to get healthy and we do activate him, he's going to be in the throes of this competition," Rivera said last week. "It's going to unfold very nicely as a football team for us because competition is only going to make you better. It's going to push the young guys as well."
Well, Smith is healthy. Welcome to the competition.
Dwayne Haskins is the logical starting quarterback for this team. The 15th overall pick in 2019, Haskins started seven games last year and was awful early on before showing real promise late in his rookie season. For a first-year QB without even much college experience, the results were encouraging.
This offseason Haskins has done everything asked of him. He's lost weight, learned the playbook and exhibited real leadership.
The job should be his, especially for a rebuilding team that new head coach Ron Rivera is focused on building for the long-term. Washington needs to know exactly what Haskins is now, and what he could become in the future, and the best way to find out is give the 23-year-old passer every snap he can handle.
But now that all might change.
RELATED: ALEX SMITH CLEARED FOR FOOTBALL ACTIVITY
Stop thinking that Smith's comeback is just some sort of mission to prove he can do it. Stop it.
Smith is an elite athlete, a former No. 1 pick overall, with a burning edge for competition. He didn't work all the way back just to get told how great of an accomplishment it is. This was not done for a pat on the back.
This isn't about money either. Smith stands to make more than $20 million this season, but the cash was guaranteed. He was getting paid whether or not he ever made it back to the active roster.
Smith worked all the way back to play football.
When a fight breaks out in a crowded bar there are typically two types of people. The first is the loudmouth that screams and shouts but when the pushing becomes actual fists, the loudmouth goes in reverse and starts demanding to be held back. Of course that's a bluff, there is no reason to hold the loudmouth back, but it's all part of the mirage.
The other type is prepared to fight.
Smith is prepared to fight. Prepared to compete.
Sports
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TALK PODCAST
In a rare case of good luck for Washington, Smith is known to be one of the classiest men in football. In previous stops in San Francisco and Kansas City, Smith has twice been replaced by younger QBs in Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Mahomes. And both players talked about Smith's guidance and friendship being a huge part of their development.
Haskins has said similar things about Smith, but Haskins and Smith have never competed for the same job. When Haskins got drafted last year, Smith was injured and unable to play. In fact, the only reason Washington drafted Haskins was because former team officials thought Smith would never return due to the severity of his injury.
For his part, Haskins said he's rooting for Smith to get back on the field and get back to 100% healthy.
"Even if we get to run together against each other in competition and drills, I'm trying to make sure he gets me better and I get him better," Haskins said last week. "I look at Alex as someone who is a mentor in the room who can get me better every single day as far as who we're getting ready for this week and who we're getting ready for next week."
Since Rivera took the job in Washington he's preached competition at every position. He still hasn't announced Haskins as his starting QB despite all signs pointing to that reality.
Well, maybe there'a a reason Rivera has been reluctant to name Haskins the guy. Maybe that reason is named Alex Smith.
At some point as this becomes a football story and not an incredible comeback story, it needs to be mentioned that Smith's performance prior to his injury in 2018 was mediocre.
In 10 starts he threw 10 touchdowns and averaged about 220 yards-per-game. In five of his last six games Smith threw for 178 yards or fewer, paltry production in a pass-first league. But to tell the full football story, it also requires noting that Washington was 6-4 in games Smith started. If he stayed healthy it's quite logical to think Smith would have guided Washington to a winning record and a playoff spot, much the same way he did for five seasons prior with the Chiefs.
Add all of that up and the quarterback situation in Washington is anything but settled. That's without even mentioning third-year passer Kyle Allen, a guy that started 13 games for Rivera in Carolina and the team traded for this offseason. Rivera had already been saying that Haskins and Allen were competing for the QB1 spot - a job that one player should get almost undivided attention and work.
Looking down the road Haskins is under team control through the 2023 season on a team-friendly rookie deal. Smith's contract runs through 2022, but after this year, holds no guaranteed money. Washington could release Smith next offseason and save nearly $15 million against the salary cap, or Washington could elect to pay a then 37-year-old quarterback more than $23 million. Time will tell the answer on that.
Now, however, right now, in 2020, in the middle of a global pandemic and a football rebuild, Smith is back. Ready to compete. Ready to fight. And he's not the loudmouth type.
Stay connected to the team with the MyTeams app. Click here to download for comprehensive coverage of your teams.
MORE WASHINGTON FOOTBALL NEWS:
- Terry McLaurin: Ready for WR1 role
- Thomas Davis: Excited for Foster
- Redwolves concept: Retain identity
Alex Smith's incredible comeback creates major problem for Washington Football originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
