Washington’s Alex Smith Faces One Last Hurdle Ahead Of NFL Return

Not many NFL fans believed Alex Smith would return from the gruesome leg injury he sustained in Nov. 2018. Many compared it to the injury that ended Joe Theismann’s career in 1985, though the former quarterback thinks Smith’s injury was much worse.

Remarkably, Smith is back on the field with the Washington Football Team ahead of the 2020 season, though he’s yet to face any defenses during drills.

Head coach Ron Rivera hasn’t placed a timetable on that portion of Smith’s return. But there’s still one last thing Smith needs to do before feeling comfortable on the field in a game-like scenario: Get hit.

“I’ve thought that more than I can probably say,” Smith said, via ESPN’s John Keim. “That’s been in the back of my head throughout this entire process. I’ve got to go out there and get hit; I’ve got to know that, obviously, my leg is strong enough to take it.”

And while it won’t be easy, Smith is “determined not to let that fear dictate my decision-making. No doubt that’s there but, for me, (it’s) choosing to move past it.”

After an injury like his, who can blame him?