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Alex Smith is back, or at least very, very close to him. The veteran quarterback was set to recover from his calf injury in Week 16 against the Carolina Panthers, but was ruled out as a game decision. The days that followed saw a ton of uproar within from the Washington football team, featured by former first-round pick Dwayne Haskins’ bench call in Sunday’s loss and then releasing him outright to start the week. The latter propelled replacement Taylor Heinicke into the limelight, there was a chance he would take over as a starter in the unmissable fight against the Philadelphia Eagles.
After taking a few first-team reps this week, Heinicke is likely to be Smith’s replacement instead, as the latter’s progress has put him in a position to return as a starter, and he reportedly intends to do so – per Ian Rapoport from NFL Network.
There will be one final check before game time, but as it stands it’s Smith that the Eagles will face and not a player who was recently third string behind Haskins. Smith missed the last two outings with the aforementioned calf problem, and Washington lost both competitions with a shot at winning the NFC East with just one victory. The offense has averaged 14 points per game in his absence, a far cry from their productivity in the four-game winning streak led by Smith. They were by no means prolific, but Smith’s presence creates a much more disturbing dynamic for a shattered Eagles defense that will also host several key players and has now received news from the Imminent departure of defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.
That should logically make the path to the divisional title less difficult for Smith, but star receiver Terry McLaurin’s injury concerns balance that equation. The pressure is on for Smith to continue his miraculous return tour with a trip to the playoffs, which would be Washington’s first time in January since 2015 and Smith’s first visit since his 2017 season as a starter for the Chiefs of Kansas City.
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