Washington reportedly wants Alex Smith to become starting QB

Washington head coach Ron Rivera benched Dwayne Haskins this week in favor of Kyle Allen, but the team may have its eye on another starting quarterback change in the coming weeks.

Washington is hoping that Alex Smith gets up to speed to the point where he can take over the starting job, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports.

Smith, 36, was active on Sunday for the first time since suffering his devastating leg injury in November 2018. He has cleared a number of major hurdles over the past several months, and Rivera said before the season that he would feel comfortable entering Week 1 with Smith as his starter. According to La Canfora, the expectation is that Smith should be fully up to speed after another week or two of practice time.

Allen could keep the starting job if he plays well, but Haskins’ time with Washington may be as good as over. The former first-round pick entered the season as the starter and failed to produce. He also reportedly irritated some of his teammates with his behavior following last week’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Smith suffered a spiral fracture in his leg on Nov. 18, 2018. He underwent multiple surgeries and had an infection threaten his career. Seeing him under center after all he went through would be surreal.