Washington head coach Ron Rivera ‘can envision’ Alex Smith playing role in QB competition
As Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith progresses in his recovery from a serious leg injury, the next milestone may be vying for playing time.
Head coach Ron Rivera noted that he had been “pleasantly surprised” with Smith and added that he “can envision” the playing a role in the quarterback competition during training camp.
“For him, it’s really just a matter of, can he do the movements he needs to do?” Rivera said Tuesday. “Can he protect himself when he’s on the field more so than anything else? Remember, he’s going to have to hand the ball off, he’s going to have to drop back into the pocket and throw the ball, he’s going to have to escape and we have to make sure he can do those things and protect himself as he plays.”
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Rivera estimated that Smith, 36, already knows 75% of the team’s playbook.
Smith last played in a game in Week 11 of the 2018 season against the Houston Texans, a contest in which he suffered a compound fracture in his right leg. Smith needed more than a dozen surgeries to repair the injury after it became infected.
Washington hasn’t cleared Smith yet for full contact and placed him on the physically unable to perform list July 27.
