Redskins: Why Alex Smith could be a short term replacement at quarterback if Kirk Cousins walks
Kirk Cousins’ return to the Washington Redskins is looking like a true coin flip at this point in time. If he does leave, Alex Smith could end up being an option for the team.
On Saturday afternoon, the Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Tennessee Titans in heartbreaking fashion. In the first round of the 2018 NFL playoffs, the Chiefs held a 21-3 lead on the Titans heading into the half. They put up zero points in the second half and blew the game, falling by a final score of 22-21. The disappointing loss for the Chiefs likely spells the end of the Alex Smith era in Kansas City.
To be clear, Smith was not the reason that the Chiefs lost this game at all. In fact, he had a solid performance, completing 24-of-33 passes for 264 yards and a couple of scores. His team was also guilty of brutal drops that could have further improved that stat line. Smith was efficient and accurate as he has always been. But without Travis Kelce on the field, he couldn’t do enough to generate an offensive attack and the team suffered as a result.
The reason that Smith is likely to leave the Chiefs in the offseason is the presence of Patrick Mahomes. Kansas City and Andy Reid traded up to get the quarterback with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. The Texas A&M gunslinger figures to be a very good quarterback at the NFL level, and he was actually our top rated quarterback prospect heading into the 2017 draft.
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Mahomes saw action for the first time in his career against the Denver Broncos in Week 17. The game was meaningless for the Chiefs playoff seeding, so they gave him a chance to win. He had a solid outing, showcasing his strong arm and making a lot of nice downfield throws. Yes, it was against a Broncos team who was also playing for nothing, but still. The rookie had a good showing and with another offseason, he could be ready to start the 2018 season.
This is nothing new for Smith. He was benched during the San Francisco 49ers 2012 Super Bowl run by then second year man Colin Kaepernick. The facts are simple. The two younger passers had more upside than Smith. For that reason, Kaepernick was given a chance to start and Mahomes likely will be too.
With that said, the Chiefs will probably have to move on from Smith following the season. If they’re planning on starting Mahomes, there’s no reason to keep Smith on the roster, especially at his $18 million salary. While that’s a bargain on the current quarterback market, it’s too much to pay to a backup. The team could release him with relatively little dead cap space, but it’s far more likely that a quarterback needy team would trade for him.
The question I posit now is this. Why not the Redskins? They could end up being an ideal place for the quarterback in the event that Kirk Cousins leaves the team. That said, there are also potential drawbacks. But here’s a look at why Smith could fit in well with the Redskins.