The Washington Football Team believes it looks “very promising” for quarterback Alex Smith to start on Sunday night against the Philadelphia Eagles, but the team wants to see how his calf feels during the warm-up before the game before making the final decision, he said a source to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Smith, who trained for the second day in a row on Friday, is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game, but a source said Washington is planning to make him a starter, as he did all week.
Washington (6-9) will win the NFC East if they win the Eagles (4-10-1). The team lost two consecutive games with Smith unable to play.
Smith trained on consecutive days for the first time since suffering a sprained right calf during a December 13 game against San Francisco. Last week, Smith did not train until the Friday before the game; his calf did not respond well the next day and he missed his second game in a row.
If Smith is unable to play, the match will be for Taylor Heinicke, who replaced Dwayne Haskins Jr. in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 20-13 loss to Carolina. In two attempts, Heinicke completed 12 of 19 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown.
Haskins was released on Monday after fighting on the field and coming into conflict with the COVID-19 protocols.
Washington hired Heinicke on December 8 for his training team; he has been on the active list for the past two games.