Washington Redskins hopeful Alex Smith will return from broken leg

Washington Redskins president Bruce Allen is optimistic quarterback Alex Smith will be able to return from his gruesome leg injury.

Smith, 34, broke his leg in November in a game against the Houston Texans. He then suffered a subsequent infection which kept him in hospital post surgery for four weeks.

Allen did not state when Smith could make his return but spoke highly of how well he is doing in his recovery to get back onto the field.

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"He's moving around and well on his way to a recovery," Allen said. "It's a tough thing for him and his family, all the love and care has helped him quite a bit.

"We'll see how it goes, we're optimistic. If anyone can come back, it's Alex."

Smith was spotted in public for the first time since he had surgery as he watched the Washington Wizards beat the Detroit Pistons on Monday.

Allen added: "I'm sure he wanted to shoot hoops at the game [on Monday], but we'll see."

Traded from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Redskins during the offseason in 2018, Smith looked capable of leading Washington to the NFC East division title and had a record of 6-3 when he broke his leg.

Allen did not say whether or not Washington will seek to add a quarterback either through free agency or the draft this year.

The only other quarterback they have on their roster is Colt McCoy who also broke his leg in early December. The Redskins signed Josh Johnson and Mark Sanchez to fill in for McCoy but both will be free agents in March.

Smith signed a four-year contract extension that put him under contract for five years and $111m - it also included $71m in injury guarantees.