Ron Rivera Just Signaled It’s Alex Smith’s Time to Shine in Washington
The Washington Football Team is experiencing another tough start to a season. However, things have taken an intriguing turn with head coach Ron Rivera already moving off second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins as the starter. It has also opened the door for Alex Smith to relaunch his career with in Washington.
Washington chooses to bench Dwayne Haskins
The Washington Football Team is off to a sluggish start out of the gate to the 2020 season.
It has also seen Washington quickly come to a franchise-altering decision with their young quarterback Dwayne Haskins. Head coach Ron Rivera decided to bench him ahead of Week 5 action against the LA Rams. It marked the first time that Haskins has lost the starting job in his brief NFL career.
There has been much outside criticism around the move as it hasn’t allowed the Ohio State product to grow. That instead has put him in a spot where his next opportunity to play is out of his hands.
It’s a situation that also now signals another pathway is open that could see Alex Smith continue his remarkable comeback journey back in the NFL.
Washington moving in new direction
Washington looks to have chugged forward with Dwayne Haskins no longer being the starting quarterback.
If that point wasn’t already clear, head coach Ron Rivera has voiced that notion again. According to JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington, Rivera recently stated that the team had seen enough from Haskins in the starting role to move forward with no longer in that spot.
“It’s interesting because we went through training camp and gave him every rep with the [first team] in terms of trying to develop him and get him ready to go. Through the four games we didn’t see what we were looking for. I made the decision to go forward with Kyle [Allen] and Alex [Smith],” the coach said.
In that brief time in the starting role, Haskins had his fair share of struggles as he recorded 11 touchdown passes to 10 interceptions while passing for 2,304 yards on a 59.6 percent completion rate and a 77.8 passer rating. In four games in 2020, the 23-year-old passed for 939 yards with four touchdowns to three interceptions.
More than anything else, Rivera’s decision opens the door for Alex Smith to continue his miraculous comeback story in Washington.
Alex Smith’s chance to continue NFL comeback
Alex Smith made his triumphant return to the field in Week 5 against the Rams.
Smith didn’t have a standout outing by any means by completing 9-of-17 passes for 35 yards, but he demonstrated he could handle the physicality. He was taken down hard in a couple of instances and withstood the physical beating from the Rams defense.
With Kyle Allen working his way back from a head injury he suffered against LA, it could open the door for Smith. Rivera has stated that Allen is still the starter when healthy, but the opportunity is there for the former Pro Bowler to make a strong bid to take that role.
Smith has already demonstrated that he could be a viable option if Washington were to turn to him as the starter. It’s just a matter of him getting that chance to do that for the franchise. Beyond that, Smith getting back on the field after what he’s gone through physically over the last year and a half breaths complete life into his football career.
