Examining the QB options: Could Alex Smith enter the Broncos' chat?

Fifth in a series

PREVIOUS ENTRIES: Nick Foles | Marcus Mariota | Andy Dalton | Tyrod Taylor

ALEX SMITH, WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM

• AGE AT START OF 2021 SEASON: 37
• EXPERIENCE: 17th year

THE HIGHS: Smith’s return to the field last year after a horrific leg injury was perhaps the greatest individual comeback in NFL history. That injury sidelined him for nearly two full years, led to complications that almost proved fatal and caused Washington to basically move on from him — evidenced by Ron Rivera trading for a young quarterback he had in Carolina, Kyle Allen, within months of taking the Football Team’s reins.

“It wasn’t like open arms coming back after two years,” Smith told GQ last month. “Like I said, new coaches, new faces, and I think I definitely surprised a lot of people that never thought I would even be trying it.”

Smith was statistically unimpressive last year. His completion percentage of 62.5 was his lowest since 2013. His touchdown-pass rate was his worst since 2007, his second season with the 49ers. But he made the team better; Washington’s offense accounted for an average of 22.7 points per game when he started, compared with 17.9 points when he didn’t play or came off the bench.

THE LOWS: The historical lack of team playoff success will come to mind, although he has a career touchdown-to-interception ratio of 14-to-2 in seven playoff games. Had he been healthy enough to play for Washington in January’s wild-card round, he would have given his team an advantage that it lacked when it was forced to shove Taylor Heinicke into action.

Although Washington’s surge to an unexpected division title took flight with Smith at quarterback, his production was down from prior to the injury. His interception rate spiked to one every 31.5 attempts; it had not been worse than one every 61 attempts since 2012, his last season before joining the Chiefs from the 49ers.

FOUR-YEAR FORM (2017-20)

(Rankings are among 62 quarterbacks with at least 250 total plays — attempts, rushes and times sacked — over the past four years.)

• PASSER RATING: 92.9, 21st
• YARDS PER ATTEMPT: 7.19, 26th
• COMPLETION PERCENTAGE: 65.81, 14th
• TOUCHDOWN-PASS RATE: One every 25.83 attempts, 33rd
• SACK RATE: One every 14.73 pass plays, 35th
• INTERCEPTION RATE: One every 60.28 attempts, 9th
• FUMBLE RATE: One every 127.5 plays, 9th
• BALL-LOSS RATE (INTERCEPTIONS + FUMBLES): One every 45.54 plays, 6th

WHAT STANDS OUT: Over the long haul, Smith plays mistake-free football — although his interception rate spiked in his return from the leg injury. And unlike some other quarterbacks in this series who focus on avoiding miscues, Smith is still capable of dynamic play; in his last full season, he threw 26 touchdown passes — although that was in Andy Reid’s offense with targets such as Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce.

For those who fixate on QB wins, Smith’s teams haven’t had a losing record in his starts since 2010. Washington went 11-5 in 16 games that he started over the last three seasons … and 6-27 in all other contests, including the postseason. The difference in the Football Team with and without Smith was profound, and he was the primary reason behind their late-season revival.

WHY HE COULD BE A FIT: His persistence in coming back despite the longest possible odds gives him instant leadership credibility the moment he steps into the locker room.

If he can’t beat out Lock and transitions into a mentor-type role, the manner in which he provided counsel and advice to Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City shows that he could handle such a job description — even though the dynamic would be different, since he started in Kansas City and would be the reserve in Denver. But another reason why Smith would be an ideal presence for Lock is because it took Smith five years to become a viable, secure starting quarterback. Sometimes maturation into that role takes a while, and Smith can impart his lessons to Lock.

WHY HE WOULDN’T BE: If his performance last year is an accurate indication of his post-injury proficiency, then he would not represent an improvement over Lock in terms of avoiding interceptions. While Lock had a worse interception rate than Smith last year (one every 29.5 attempts compared with one every 31.5 for Smith), his career interception rate (one every 33.28 attempts) is better than Smith’s rate last year.

HOW THE BRONCOS MIGHT GET HIM: Via free agency. News broke Monday that Washington was expected to release him, opting to cast its lot with a room that includes Allen and Heinicke, who started for the Football Team in its wild-card loss to Tampa Bay and signed a contract extension.

Chicago would appear to be the most likely destination for Smith, given that he had his greatest individual success in Kansas City with Matt Nagy — now the Bears’ head coach — as the offensive coordinator.