Monday 27 July 2020 17:50, UK
Washington quarterback Alex Smith is astonishingly on the road to making a comeback in the NFL after suffering a career-threatening spiral compound fracture to his tibia and fibula in November 2018.
The 2005 No 1 overall pick is set to begin training camp on the active/physically unable to perform list, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, having been cleared to return to football activities by his doctors at the end of last week.
Smith has been sidelined since the horror injury sustained against the Houston Texans while being sacked by Kareem Jackson and J.J. Watt.
After undergoing surgery on the initial injury, Smith developed a life-threatening flesh-eating infection leading to sepsis, which required 17 surgeries across nine months and the use of an external fixator. An amputation had been in consideration until doctors performed skin grafts and transferred muscle from his left quadriceps to save his leg.
"Everyone was in agreement that my bone was in a really good place," Smith told ESPN's Stephania Bell after the news he had been cleared by doctors to return. "I had healed a lot.
"They said that given the combination of the rod and where I was with the healing process, I had zero limitations and could even resume some football activities.
"To hear them say that, from a life standpoint, they wouldn't restrict me from doing anything - I could go skiing or snowboarding tomorrow if I wanted-then on top of that, to get the green light that I could practice, get contact, that I had healed up, that much was pretty wild to hear. I didn't know if I would ever hear those words."
Realistically, Smith knows the path ahead remains a long, obstacle-filled one, however for him to simply play another snap in the NFL would be a remarkable feat in itself.
Placing him on the PUP list is a logical move from Washington's standpoint, giving them an opportunity to continue monitoring him as well as the option of removing him at any time.
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