Kyle Allen's 2020 season is finished.
The Washington quarterback will soon have surgery on his dislocated ankle and is out for the remainder of the current campaign, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.
The injury will require a four-month recovery but isn't as bad as feared and sets him up to return in time for 2021, Rapoport added.
As NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported, Allen suffered the dislocation and a small fracture in Sunday's loss to the Giants. Coach Ron Rivera told reporters earlier Monday the team will get a full understanding of what's ahead for Allen after he meets with doctors.
"He's gonna see the doctors about his surgery and see exactly what happens," Rivera said. "Might be a little premature to say he's out for the year, but again, he's gonna have to see the doctors and they're gonna have to do all the decision-making on those things."
Alex Smith will be the starter for Washington going forward, with the roadmap for the rest of the season still very much unsettled. Smith completed 24 of 32 passes for 325 yards and a touchdown. He had an opportunity to lead a potential game-winning drive in the final stages of Sunday's game but threw two interceptions to end Washington's chances.
As the resident veteran with multiple careers' worth of NFL experience -- first-overall pick of the 49ers, castoff-turned-rejuvenated leader in Kansas City, chosen veteran and victim of a gruesome leg injury in Washington, and now this -- Smith is the best choice for the job right now, Rivera believes, which has come as part of a learning process for the still-new Washington coach.
"I don't know if you can say it's difficult as much as it's the process of seeing what we have," Rivera said. "I think that's the most important thing is to see what we have as we go forward."
What Rivera has is the veteran in Smith who could win Comeback Player of the Year if he just strings together a few productive games. He also has a youngster he clearly likes in Allen, and a 2019 first-round pick he seems to have a problem with in Dwayne Haskins.
Rivera delivered an interesting note that accompanied the response about his current quarterback situation that suggests maybe the future in Washington isn't so bleak for Haskins after all.
"The thing about Alex as the starter right now is you have a guy that is a very veteran quarterback, that has helped to nurture and develop a couple of pretty good young quarterbacks," Rivera explained. "Kind of showed these guys how to study, to prepare for a game, how to handle it, and I think this is going to be very good for Dwayne. I think Dwayne's going to get an opportunity to truly see how to prepare for a game as a starter.
"Hopefully, Dwayne will take it that way, that this is an opportunity to learn and grow. And then, who knows? He may get his opportunity again shortly, but he's just got to be ready and prepare as if he's one play away."
Rivera makes it sound as if a lack of preparation is what undercut Haskins' play in the brief time he received as a starter in 2020 before the coach abruptly pulled the plug. A lack of attention to detail in Haskins' preparation would bring sense to Rivera's decision to send Haskins from the starting lineup to the inactives list, which seemed drastic at the time.
Perhaps there is a legitimate chance for Haskins in Washington after all. For now, though, this is the Alex Smith Show, one we all want to root for while our fellow humans hope for the best for Allen in his Monday meetings with doctors.
