Mark Sanchez In Washington Redskins

A gruesome injury Alex Smith suffered this weekend against the Houston Texans forced the Redskins to look for another quarterback.

After assessing the potential candidates, the leaders of the NFC East picked Mark Sanchez to be their backup QB, who will be behind Colt McCoy.

Alex Smith broke his left leg tibia and fibula, and he will be sidelined for a long time. According to some of the insiders from the league, the first overall pick from the NFL Draft in 2005 is going to be absent for about six months. It would have been much worse, but luckily for him, his ligaments weren’t damaged.

That awful accident made an issue for the Redskins and their coaching staff had to react fast, in order to fill the gap at the most important position on the team. Mark Sanchez was their choice, and the 32-year old will be given another chance to prove his worth in the NFL. Washington took Sanchez over E.J. Manuel, Kellen Clemens, Josh Johnson, and T.J. Yates.

“We had a workout today; looked pretty good,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. “But based on his past experiences with Coach O’Connell and Cavanaugh; he’s won some playoff games, he’s got a lot of experience. I think this time of the year, you need somebody who’s taken some meaningful snaps, a lot of experience; and Mark’s done that.”

DC-based franchise probably decided to go with the fifth overall pick from the 2009 draft because of his previous connections with the current coaching core. You see, Redskins passing coordinator, Kevin O’Connell was his backup occasionally when he played for the Jets. Matt Cavanaugh who is the offensive coordinator here, was the quarterback coach in New York, and Bill Callahan who is Gruden’s assistant in Washington, was Jets’ offensive coordinator during Sanchez’s stay in the Big Apple.

He spent three years with the Jets, leading them twice to the AFC Championship game. In 2009, he became the second rookie who won two consecutive playoff games, but the Indianapolis Colts defeated the Jets 30-17 one step before the Super Bowl.

They were back to the same spot next year, but this time Pittsburgh Steelers eliminated the Jets in a close contest, 24-19.

Throughout his career Sanchez threw 86 touchdowns and had the same number of interceptions, reaching 15, 219 yards, and 73.9 passer rating. His overall productivity dropped significantly in 2012 and 2013 when he recorded 36 interceptions and 16 fumbles.

At the start of the year, Long Beach native received a four-game suspension because he used illegal substances. That pretty much decreased his value on the market, repealing many teams away from him. Sanchez was already a bit forgotten, and in the past two years, he served as a backup in Dallas in 2016, and as a mentor for Mitch Trubisky in Chicago last season.

His experience will come handy for the Redskins, and 72 games as a starter are something which could be precious for this franchise. Colt McCoy is in a better position because he knows all the actions and plays, but his quality is still questionable. In 8 years as a pro, McCoy made only 25 appearances, and since 2014 when he arrived in DC, he stepped on the field just 9 times, twice in the previous three campaigns.

This might be a ticket back to the NFL mainstream for Sanchez, who still has a lot to show. For the quarterback, he is in his prime, and after being at the bottom for some time, his motivation is just too big to miss this opportunity.

We will see what happens next in DC.