Alex Smith back practicing in pads is an awesome sight (Photos)

Watching Alex Smith practice in football pads again has to make you smile.

Alex Smith being able to come back from his gruesome injury is an inspiration to us all.

Back in 2018, Smith succumbed to a leg gash we can only describe as being the Joe Theismann injury of his generation. It happened on the same day 33 years apart in the same metro area, playing for the same Washington franchise on the same 39-yard-line, caused by one of the best pass rushers of his generation while Washington’s perennial Pro Bowl left tackle was out. Crazy.

Even crazier is Smith was able to bounce back from his injury while Theismann sadly was not. Smith was cleared to practice for the Washington Football Team recently. On Tuesday, you can see a few stills of the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft taking part in a padded practice in the nation’s capital. You simply have to see these pictures to believe it even happened.

Alex Smith is back at practice, but should he even think about playing?

Ultimately, this comes down to his decision and that of the Washington medical staff. If the team doctors give him the go-ahead to play and Smith and his family are comfortable with him playing again, then he is more than welcomed to give it a try. Smith is a multi-time Pro Bowler, a former Heisman Trophy finalist and a potential NFL Comeback Player of the Year candidate if he plays.

Smith is set up to do whatever he feels like in the NFL once he does hang up the spikes for good. Though he could coach, he seems slated to go more in a front office role with the Washington franchise. If he wanted to, he could surely do work as a football analyst for a major network, college or pro. This guy has so many unbelievable experiences in his football life.

As for if he should play, we just don’t want to see him get hurt again. Even with one good leg, he still might beat out second-year pro Dwayne Haskins for the starting job in Washington. At the very least, he’ll be an incredible teammate in the quarterback room to help Haskins develop as a passer. Smith was a good teammate in San Francisco, in Kansas City and now in Washington.

If Smith plays another NFL snap before retiring, give him the Comeback Player of the Year award.