Washington Redskins: What does the Smith signing mean for the offense?

Not all of us may agree with the Washington Redskins trade for Alex Smith. But it appears to be in the books. So let’s see what it means.

For any other NFL team, the blockbuster trade that took place on Tuesday night would have been unthinkable. Alas, the Washington Redskins have been redefining the very term ‘unthinkable’ for three… six… however many years Bruce Allen has been the

general manager

team president.

We’ve had a day to collect our thoughts, and still, some parts of the deal don’t make sense. Why were the Washington Redskins willing to give up Kendall Fuller? Why did they conduct the trade this early, before either quarterback had a chance to set their markets? Why did they extinguish any leverage they might have had in a tag and trade of Kirk Cousins?

We’ll get to that in due time. But for now, let’s take a look at the new starting quarterback of the Washington Redskins, 33-year old Alex Smith. What does he bring to the table? What does his signing mean for the Washington Redskins and their offense?

Running Game

With Alex Smith now slated as the Washington Redskins’ starting quarterback, finding a No. 1 running back is tantamount to the team’s success in 2018.

The Washington Redskins have a valuable third down back at Alex Smith’s disposal in Chris Thompson, but if the team can’t establish a running game, then Smith could suffer mightily.

This was ultimately one of the team’s goals before the trade for Smith materialized, but now, it becomes far more important. The Kansas City Chiefs’ offense was designed around two playmakers in 2017: Kareem Hunt and Tyreek Hill.

Without that every-down back to serve a multitude of purposes, the Redskins will be stuck running a vanilla offense with immense limitations. It doesn’t matter who the quarterback is. You need a running game to have a game at all.

This isn’t to say that Alex Smith can’t succeed without a solid run game. But when you have a mobile quarterback who’s accurate and has big play potential, you risk restricting his options by setting him up with a subpar running game. We saw a modulation of this with Kirk Cousins for the past three years. The Washington Redskins need to be in the business of finding a true starting running back this offseason, whether it be in free agency, or in the NFL Draft.

Receiving Core

Alex Smith didn’t have the greatest, most well-rounded receiving core in the world in Kansas City. Ryan Grant is an upgrade over Albert Wilson. And Josh Doctson should be a decent playmaker in his second full year. But on the Kansas City Chiefs, Alex Smith had one player that no one in D.C. even came close to resembling.

Alex Smith had Tyreek Hill.

His transformation in 2017 was intriguing, because before that season, Alex Smith was the league-wide definition of a game manager. Now, it appears as if he prefers the term ‘gunslinger’. That was evident in his latest season, when it became a weekly routine of sorts to chuck a deep pass to his speedy receiver. Smith showed a new level of aggression in his choices, and yet, the interceptions didn’t go up. Smith’s aggression is the most dangerous kind. It is calculated. Smart.

But all that doesn’t matter if the Washington Redskins don’t have a receiver who can whisk around the defensive backs and get open with speed alone. Jamison Crowder is quick and shifty, but he doesn’t have the top-end velocity to be Alex Smith’s Tyreek Hill in Washington. They do have Doctson, who can go up for the 50-50 balls. But they don’t have a player to take the top off of a defense, like DeSean Jackson did for Kirk Cousins in 2015 and 2016.

In the ensuing offseason, a speedy deep threat is one of the top priorities for the Washington Redskins. Alex Smith can get by without one, but settling for good enough is just another way to go 8-8. To win, and to have a dynamic offense with Alex Smith at the helm, the Washington Redskins need to find their Tyreek Hill. They can’t waste Alex Smith’s newfound willingness to go deep.

Game Planning

Jay Gruden is going to love Alex Smith.

He probably already loves the veteran quarterback. After all, Smith will look to provide stability to the Washington Redskins at quarterback. That stability has proved to be elusive in recent years, and the wear on Jay Gruden was starting to show. Keeping Cousins didn’t matter anymore. It was about moving on, or moving forward.

Now, the Washington Redskins will move on from Cousins, and move forward with Alex Smith. And in terms of scheme fit, Smith projects to play very well in Jay Gruden’s west coast scheme, provided the team can provide him with a few more healthy playmakers (sorry, Jordan Reed).

So what will Gruden’s offense ask Smith to do? Let’s take a quick look.

Gruden’s offense is tailor-made to support the quarterback. With plentiful check down options, and a diverse allotment of intermediate and deep routes at one’s disposal, Smith will be allowed to use his smarts and situational awareness on every play.

Smith loves his tight ends, as his time in Kansas City showed. He’s incredibly proficient when throwing down the middle, but it ultimately helps to have Travis Kelce catching the ball and running with it.

Luckily, Smith has an exceptional pair of tight ends in D.C. that, when healthy, can be a dangerous duo. Jordan Reed’s status makes it hard to rely on him, but Smith has previous experience with Vernon Davis in San Francisco, so many years ago.

The two should find it easy to rekindle their rapport early, and with the ageless Davis serving as a safety blanket in the box, Smith has one option readily available on every play. Gruden also uses multiple tight end sets frequently, both in the running game and on play action, giving Smith big bodies to target on a consistent basis.

Must Read: Why Alex Smith will turn out better than Donovan McNabb in D.C.

Also not to be understated is the presence and role of one more key playmaker: Third down running back Chris Thompson. Smith used running back Kareem Hunt extensively in Kansas City, but Hunt was used for everything. With Thompson serving a specific purpose, he can be fresh for use on passing downs, with all of his energy reserved specifically for catch and runs. Gruden occasionally uses Thompson as a change-of-pace back in the running game, but he’s most valuable taking a screen pass and swerving past his blockers. And, just as a reminder, the Washington Redskins have very, very aggressive screen blockers.

Thompson gives the check down a dangerous verve. And while Smith seems to have kicked his habit of deferring to the running back on every other pass, at least now we know that in D.C., the check down won’t cause the drive to check out.

Furthermore, Gruden’s offense also factors in a quarterback’s ability to run. While Kirk Cousins could run, and did run often, he wasn’t known as a particularly mobile quarterback. Alex Smith, however, is more athletic than Cousins, and he serves as a legitimate running threat under center. With Smith, the read option becomes just a little more dangerous, and if all his options are taken on passing downs, he can easily tuck in and take off. The frequent use of bootlegs and play option rollouts will help with that, and it will keep the offense moving.

But again, balance is key in Gruden’s offense, and that takes us back to the need for a No. 1 running back, not a one-dimensional role player and a scat back. Playing in this offense without a running game is like driving a car with three tires. You’re not going to be as effective, as versatile, or as malleable when change is required. Smith, as a player, fits well. But more work must be done for the personnel unit to fit him.

Leadership

In Alex Smith, the Washington Redskins get a good player. And they get an even better man.

Smith has always been a class act, and the reaction his trade got from the Kansas City Chiefs’ fan base is proof of that.

Chiefs players hold Smith in high regard as a leader, both on and off the field, as evidenced in Kareem Hunt’s parting message to the quarterback. More proof of Smith’s character was on display during all of 2017. When the Chiefs drafted Smith’s obvious replacement, Patrick Mahomes, the veteran didn’t isolate himself and compete. He taught Mahomes what he knew, and groomed the Texas Tech product for success. And when Mahomes played his first NFL game in light of a brief injury to Smith, he went out and won the game.

Draft: NFL Mock Draft 4.0: Redskins grab a No. 1 running back

Additionally, Smith was nominated as the Chiefs’ Man of the Year representative in 2016 and 2017, and his charity, The Alex Smith Foundation, helps disadvantaged foster teens develop and grow into successful adults. But don’t go tweeting at Smith to thank him. He’s not one for self-promotion. For more on his foundation and his work, check out this great article on Chiefs.com.

Forget the football for a moment. The Washington Redskins are getting a top-notch competitor, and a top-notch person. That’s valuable in its own right.

Overall

What the Washington Redskins truly get out of Alex Smith depends on what version of Alex Smith they get.

The Alex Smith of the past was a game manager. The check down king. And while he was accurate, and smart, his propensity to avoid risks cost his team a great deal. He could only take them so far.

The Alex Smith of 2017, however, was a gunslinger. He took chances, and made plays for his offense, while also being careful with the football. He was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL for most of the year, and he was arguably a better quarterback than Kirk Cousins. He had a much better supporting cast, but he showed his individual talent as well.

In Alex Smith, Jay Gruden gets a quarterback he can work with, and in the Washington Redskins, Smith gets a team that he can make competitive, and keep competitive. It may take time for him to mesh, but at 33 years old, Smith still has quite a few years left in his career as a quarterback. And with the Washington Redskins locking down Smith to a four-year extension, the signal caller will be in the nation’s capital for a long time.

Next: Redskins: Where might Kirk Cousins be headed in 2018?

So what does Smith’s signing mean for the Washington Redskins? It means they don’t have to slow down.