Washington will be without its starting quarterback for the rest of the season. Alex Smith had to be carted from the field in the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the Texans after suffering a gruesome lower leg injury.
LOOK AWAY IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH.
Alex Smith ends up with an obvious compound fracture of his ankle/lower leg after a sack, and his year will be over.#Redskins pic.twitter.com/wslG8zEt6p
— Chad Ryan (@ChadwikoRCC) November 18, 2018
Shortly after the game, Washington head coach Jay Gruden told reporters Smith suffered compound fractures to his tibia and fibula that will require surgery. The tibia and fibula are the two bones in the lower leg. The tibia is the big bone (shin) and the fibula is on the outside of the lower leg.
In a strange and sad coincidence, Smith suffered the injury 33 years to the day that former Washington quarterback Joe Theismann’s leg was broken during a “Monday Night Football” game against the New York Giants.
Alex’s leg is exactly like mine 33 yrs ago
— Joe Theismann (@Theismann7) November 18, 2018
The final score of Washington’s game 33 years ago was also 23-21. Smith and Theismann both broke their legs on the 40-yard line.
Smith, 34, signed a four-year, $94 million deal (including $71 million in guarantees) in the offseason and his contract is such that the Redskins can not easily get out from under it without taking a huge salary-cap hit, at least until after the 2020 season.
Washington already has plans to bring in another quarterback and has a few names in mind, including EJ Manuel, TJ Yates, and Mark Sanchez, according to Adam Schefter. No word if Colin Kaepernick would be someone the Redskins would want bring in and evaluate.
