Alex Smith Now Backup Quarterback For Washington Football Team

Alex Smith's return to the football field will take one step closer come Sunday.

Following the demotion of Dwayne Haskins from starting quarterback to third string, Smith, the former Utah QB, will now serve as the primary backup in Washington's game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. MST.

Kyle Allen will now be the starting quarterback for Sunday's game, with Smith serving as backup and Haskins being demoted to third string.

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— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) October 8, 2020

This is a huge step in the right direction for Smith wanting to return to the playing field, especially after everything he's been through.

Smith tragically broke his leg on Nov. 18, 2018, fracturing his tibia and fibula in his right leg when Houston Texans star defensive lineman JJ Watt sacked him from behind and fell on his leg in an incredibly awkward manner.

Following 17 surgeries and a near amputation, Smith made the Washington's 53-man roster after an extensive rehab process.

“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,” Washington head coach Ron Rivera said. “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.”

After months of training this past summer in Hawaii, Smith returned to the states when he returned to the Washington practice field in mid-August. After initially not being cleared by Washington's medical personnel (although his personal doctors cleared him), Smith was initially activated off the physically unable to perform list on Sunday, August 16.

He's then spent the majority of his time preparing for the upcoming and diving into the playbook under Rivera, first-year head coach with Washington. And now that hard work is one step closer to paying off.

Smith is potentially the greatest quarterback to play for the Utes, leading the team to a 2004 Fiesta Bowl victory over No. 19 Pittsburgh while being a Heisman trophy finalist as well. That Utah squad was known as the original "BCS Buster," finishing the season 12-0 and No. 4 in the AP rankings.

He then parlayed that success into a solid NFL career, playing with the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs before being traded to the Redskins in 2018 — which was followed by that fateful day in November when he was sacked by Watt.

“No NFL player has ever been through what Alex Smith has,” Andy Tennant, E60 executive producer, said in a news release. “He’s normally a very private person but he wanted to document his road to recovery as well and as detailed as possible, with the hope that future players could use it as a road map. The access that he and his family granted to E60 is incredible and viewers will see a story of strength, dedication and perseverance.”

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