Ron Rivera Names Alex Smith Washington’s Starting QB Moving Forward

Alex Smith has been named the starting quarterback of the Washington Football Team moving forward, per head coach Ron Rivera.

Smith will be Washington’s third starting quarterback this season once he enters the team’s Week 10 contest against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.

Rivera’s announcement comes after signal-caller Kyle Allen exited Washington’s Week 9 loss to the New York Giants in the first quarter due to a gruesome injury. The third-year QB dislocated his ankle after being tripped up by New York’s Jabrill Peppers.

Smith was 24-for-32 passing for 325 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions in a relief effort. Washington fell to 2-6 on the season with its 23-20 loss to the Giants at FedEx Field.

Obviously, it’s not the exact circumstance that Smith was hoping for, but the reality is it will mark another chapter in the quarterback’s story of recovery. The 36-year-old Smith has not started a game since he broke his right tibia and fibula in November 2018. The injury almost costed him his leg. He did, though, play in a Week 5 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

Dwayne Haskins was the team’s starter for the first four games this season while Allen was the starter for Weeks 5, 6 and 7.