Redskins QB Alex Smith Breaks Tibia, Fibia

Redskins quarterback Alex Smith was carted off the field during today’s game against the Texans after suffering a gruesome leg injury. Following the contest, head coach Jay Gruden announced Smith broke his tibia and fibia and will require immediate surgery.

With Smith out for the rest of Sunday’s contest against the Texans (and presumably for the remainder of the year), Washington will turn to backup Colt McCoy, who has not attempted a pass since 2015. McCoy is considered one of the NFL’s better No. 2 quarterbacks, and the Redskins even considered deploying him as a starter in recent years, as Mike Florio of Pro football Talk tweets. But he does represent a downgrade from Smith and the 6-3 Redskins, who are currently leading the NFC East.

Smith, 34, posted the best campaign of his NFL career in 2017 as a member of the Chiefs before being shipped to the nation’s capital in exchange for a third-round pick and cornerback Kendall Fuller. Smith had reverted to his conservative ways in Washington, as his yards per attempt had dropped by more than a yard from 2017-18. Among the 26 quarterbacks with at least 250 attempts, Smith ranks 19th in adjusted net yards per attempt and 20th in passer rating.

Smith and McCoy are the only signal-callers on the Redskins’ roster, as the club traded third-stringer Kevin Hogan to the Broncos prior to the regular season. Washington doesn’t have a quarterback on its practice squad, either, so it could dip into a free agent market that includes Sam Bradford, Matt Moore, Mark Sanchez, Paxton Lynch, and Nathan Peterman as they aim to find a new backup.

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