Alex Smith looking like ‘wily veteran’ in return from injury

ASHBURN — Alex Smith dropped back to pass, moved to his left and fired off a pass to wide receiver Cam Sims. It was a routine throw, but for the quarterback these days, nothing is routine. With every pass, all eyes are fixated on the 36-year-old as he looks to make a historic comeback from his horrific leg injury.

For coach Ron Rivera, he’s seeing what he needs to see.

On the first day of padded practices for Washington, Rivera said Smith looked like a “wily veteran” during 7-on-7 drills. The three-time Pro Bowler did not participate in full 11-on-11 team work, but took four snaps during the 7-on-7 period.

Smith was removed from the Physically Unable to Perform list on Sunday, 21 months after shattering his leg against the Houston Texans. Rivera said the quarterback will be gradually worked in — and Smith’s movements will be a key factor for when the team decides to increase his workload.

“I saw the good movement that we’re looking (for) initially,” Rivera said. “You watched him go through it. His very first pass he completed, he completed the swing pass on his left. Well, what happened is he took his look through the middle of the defense to the side and then went all the way to the flat.

“He’s an ol’ wily veteran, seeing right through his progression.”

Dwayne Haskins took all of the first-team reps on Tuesday. In the seven-on-seven period, Smith went second over Kyle Allen and Steven Montez.

Smith also took part in individual drills, throwing to receivers in one-on-one matchups. His most impressive throw of the morning was to Darvin Kidsy as Smith roped in a deep pass over the top, right into Kidsy’s hands.

“The thing that you’ve got to see that he’s ready for the next one is his foot movement,” Rivera said, “how is he going through his progression. Is he going through his progression with really fast feet and making the good movement decisions? Those are things you want to see. … We’ve got to make sure his decision making is still there.”