Few expected Alex Smith to ever get back on the football field after his severe leg injury on November 18, 2018. There was concern about whether or not he would ever walk again. Even his life was at risk.
Surprisingly, it was reported in July that Smith had been cleared for full football activity two years after breaking his tibia and fibula during a game with Washington.
Now, the former No. 1 overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers may be close to realizing his dream of a miraculous comeback. He passed his physical last week but wasn't cleared for football activities quite yet. Instead, he landed on the Physically Unable to Perform list.
"As far as his doctors were concerned, he could resume football activity, and now, he's got to pass the football physical for us," explained Washington head coach Ron Rivera. "And if that happens, again, I think this is a guy that becomes part of our equation."
He has reportedly looked good in that evaluation of his recovery.
"Speaking with sources close to the Washington Football Team, Smith participated in four consecutive days of on-field workouts with trainers and performed well," wrote JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington. "Perhaps more importantly, Smith suffered no setbacks after the on-field work."
Smith spent his first eight NFL seasons with San Francisco before a trade sent him to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he spent the next five seasons. The quarterback was then traded to Washinton on January 30, 2018, and suffered his injury during his first season with the team.
Smith still has a long way to go in his journey back, but the chance remains that he can overcome insurmountable odds and return to the game that he loves. He'll need to pass more evaluations before anyone is comfortable with putting back in harm's way, and many unknowns still exist.
What is known is that Smith is determined to find out if he can make this work.