With the recent clearance of Alex Smith to return to practice with Washington, this has now altered the future at the quarterback position, which at one point seemed secured by either Dwayne Haskins or Kyle Allen.
The Quarterback Climate in Washington
Going into the 2020 offseason, Dwayne Haskins had an upper hand as the starter in Washington due to his experience with the organization, as he was able to lead Washington in two of their three wins last season.
After Washington acquired Kyle Allen from the Carolina Panthers, many suspected that he would be the backup given that Haskins would win the starting job.
But just recently Alex Smith, who hasn’t played an NFL snap since his injury-turned bacterial infection that he suffered back in November of 2018, was cleared by his doctors to return to football activities for the team, this including practice.
After his near 2 year road to recovery, Smith could make a serious return at the quarterback position given the progress he’s made so far. But, in light of COVID-19, it’s uncertain how many opportunities he will get to practice with the team, and gain the reps needed to make his return in the upcoming season as a starter.
The “RG3 Mentor”
If Haskins wins the starting job, it would not be surprising to see Alex Smith in a role similar to that of Robert Griffin III with Lamar Jackson in Baltimore.
It’s important to remember Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes cites a lot of his early success to the mentoring of Alex Smith. If anything, having Alex Smith able to practice benefits himself and Haskins tremendously because Smith can compete once again as an NFL quarterback, while still mentoring young talent at the quarterback position.
Right now it’s way too early to name a starter in Washington, but with Alex Smith’s return, it now opens up many more possibilities for Washington at the quarterback position.
Photo Credit: Kim Klement / USA Today Sports
