Alex Smith is going to be featured on ESPN in Project 11, a documentary about his recovery from a severely broken leg. It promises to be incredible.
The story was already full of tough twists. Then Alex Smith’s leg literally became one.
Smith, the Washington Redskins quarterback, was brutally injured on a clean hit by Houston Texans star J.J. Watt on Nov. 18, 2018. His right leg was immediately air-casted before he endured more than a dozen surgeries, almost losing the limb during the process.
Smith, 35, hasn’t played since. His recovery has largely been in the shadows, trying to return his life to normalcy after a spiral fracture to the tibia and fibula through it into chaos.
For the entire recovery process, Smith has been followed by ESPN cameras. On Friday at 8 p.m. ET, the Worldwide Leader is going to air its documentary on Smith’s progress so far.
Over his NFL career, Smith has played for three teams including the San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs and Redskins.
The No. 1 overall pick in 2005, Smith has endured countless setbacks on the field. He was benched multiples times in San Francisco before finally breaking out in 2011, leading the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game. The following year, Smith was having another fantastic campaign before suffering a concussion and losing his job to Colin Kaepernick.
Dealt to Kansas City for a second-round choice before the 2013 season, Smith began turning the 2-14 Chief around. In five years there, Smith reached three Pro Bowls, won two AFC West titles and helped Kansas City break its 22-year playoff win draught. Then, the Chiefs selected Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 draft.
Mahomes sat for a year behind Smith, who graciously tutored the youngster before being dealt to Washington in 2018. The Chiefs have since won a Super Bowl, beating Smith’s other only team in February.
For Smith, football has been a constant journey of peaks and valleys. Undoubtedly, his shattered leg was the lowest point. Now, we’ll see his rise once more with ESPN showing him overcome one hurdle after the next.
It’s impossible to imagine this documentary not resulting in Alex Smith earning legions of new supporters along the way.