Washington Redskins: Alex Smith not among NFL Top 100 players

NFL Network recently concluded its Top 100 players list and new Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith was not featured.

Anytime you make a list, it’s subjective. A collection of folks pick who they feel belongs on the list for various reasons. Whether it’s popularity, friendships, etc., we generally shouldn’t read too much into lists, however, we always do. The NFL Network does a Top 100 players list every spring and, surprisingly, new Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith is not listed for 2018.

Why?

Well, that’s a good question. Smith is coming off his best season as a pro and was an MVP candidate for much of the year. And, he led his team to a division title. Smith passed for 4,042 yards, 26 touchdowns, completed almost 68 percent of his passes and had just five interceptions. He was chosen to the Pro Bowl in each of the last two seasons.

Meanwhile, other quarterbacks, such as former Redskin Kirk Cousins, Case Keenum and Derek Carr were listed. Keenum was ranked No. 51. Yes, you read that correctly. The longtime journeyman had a career season playing for the Vikings last season, but was it better than Smith’s season?

And this list was supposed to be the Top 100 players of 2018, not 2017, right?

Carr is terrific. However, he was a trainwreck last season. Most do expect him to rebound in a big way under new head coach Jon Gruden in 2018.

Then there is Deshaun Watson, who played in just seven games before injuring his knee. It’s important to note that Watson was phenomenal, but it is still a relatively small sample size. Watson was listed as the league’s 50th-ranked player.

Smith isn’t the type of guy who is concerned about a snub like this. He will come to work every day, lead his teammates and stay off social media. He doesn’t have a flashy nickname or catchphrase and doesn’t promote himself or his corny t-shirts.

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Smith should certainly be on any list of the league’s top 100 players. A list excluding him is a joke. No, he isn’t Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady or Russell Wilson, but he’s still good and there’s a reason Washington feels it upgraded at the quarterback position this offseason.