Washington quarterback Alex Smith has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Seahawks, paving the way for Dwayne Haskins to make his first start in 11 weeks.
Smith has been battling a calf strain he suffered ahead of last week's 23-15 win over San Francisco, which he tweaked further during the game, forcing an early exit near the end of the second quarter. Haskins finished the game for Smith, doing just enough to secure the victory.
Smith was a non-participant for most of practice this week, hoping the extra recovery time would be enough to get ready for Sunday. Head coach Ron Rivera, however, announced on Friday that Haskins will be the starter against Seattle.
It marks Haskins' first start since Week 4 against Baltimore, after which he was benched.
Related
It's currently unclear who will back up Haskins, although Taylor Heinicke — the team's emergency quarterback who's stashed on the practice squad and kept away from the other quarterbacks, in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak — is a likely candidate. Rookie Steven Montez, also a practice-squadder, is also an option.
Linebackers Cole Holcomb (concussion) and Kevin Pierre-Louis (ankle) have also been ruled out for Sunday. Running back Antonio Gibson (turf toe) is listed as doubtful. Washington reportedly signed running back Lamar Miller, who would be unable to join the team until next week due to COVID-19 protocol.
Safety Deshazor Everett (chest) was placed on injured reserve on Thursday and will be out for at least the remainder of the regular season, although he would be eligible to return for a potential playoff game.
Related
