Alex Smith Sits Out Washington Practice; QB Haskins Getting 'Ready'

Dwayne Haskins was teary-eyed on Sunday, emotional because fate - and an injury to Alex Smith - allowed him onto the field to finish the Washington Football Team's 23-15 win over the Niners.

This week, his vision will need to be perfectly clear.

"I think Dwayne will be ready,'' coach Ron Rivera said of the upcoming Week 15 meeting with Seattle, "if Alex can't go."

That's the right thing to say, as Smith is nursing a calf strain and as Haskins - the second-year quarterback who was the 15th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft - is trying to nurse his career back to a better place. But on Wednesday at Washington HQ, the thought inched closer to reality as Smith did not participate in practice due to his calf injury.

“Tears came to my eyes as I was leaving the field,'' Haskins said humbly last week, "just thankful to be out on the grass again because I didn’t know I was gonna be out on the grass again.''

Rivera's position has been that Smith did not finish that win due to an "abundance of caution'' with the injury - but now the "caution'' continues into mid-week.

Haskins replaced Smith and went 7-of-12 for 51 yards in his first game action since being benched after Week 4. He was far from perfect. And he'll need to be much better if he plays this week.

But he won't be asked to do it alone.

"When a player steps in for a player, the guy that steps in should not have to feel like he has to carry the weight of everybody,'' Rivera said, via the Washington Football Talk Podcast. "What should happen is the players around him have to continue to step up and play their game. Thats what’s important.''

Play-making rookie defensive end agrees and supports Haskins.

"I was cheering Dwayne on. I'm definitely a Dwayne Haskins supporter," said WFT defensive leader Young of his Ohio State pal. "I'm proud of him. I told him after the game I'm proud of him and just the same thing I say, just keep going. Keep going."

Haskins opened the 2020 season as Washington's starter but was eventually demoted to third-string in early October. Then Kyle Allen broke his ankle, causing Smith to move to No. 1 and causing Haskins to become the No. 2.

WFT is tops in the NFC East with a 6-7 record. The noon Sunday visit from the Seahawks will be a test of WFT playoff readiness - and maybe, depending on Smith's availability, a test of Haskins' talent, preparation and maturity.

"He went out and did his job,'' Rivera said of Haskins' close-out work last week ... and on Wednesday, Haskins was asked to do it again.

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