Preston Smith’s Shocking Return To Washington: When Desperation Meets Destiny

Well, well, well. Look who’s back in burgundy and gold, folks. Preston Smith—yes, that Preston Smith—is officially returning to the Washington Commanders, and honestly, it feels like watching your high school quarterback come back to save homecoming after the starter gets hurt during warmups. How will the reunion go?

The Injury Bug Strikes Again (Because of Course It Does)

Let’s be real here: this isn’t some grand master plan Dan Quinn cooked up over his morning coffee. This is pure, unadulterated desperation wrapped in a nice little “homecoming” bow. The Commanders are getting absolutely demolished by injuries faster than a defensive coordinator’s game plan against Patrick Mahomes.

Deatrich Wise Jr.? Done for the season with a torn quad that probably happened while he was just thinking about rushing the passer. Jonathan Jones? Chilling on injured reserve with a hamstring that apparently decided it had better things to do. And don’t even get me started on the rest of the injury report that reads like a medical textbook. So here comes Smith, riding back into town like some sort of pass-rushing cavalry, ready to save a defensive line that’s been held together with athletic tape and prayer circles.

Smith’s Greatest Hits (And We’re Not Talking Music)

Back in 2015, when the world was simpler and we all thought the Commanders were just one defensive end away from greatness, they drafted this 6’5″, 265-pound Mississippi State product with the 38th overall pick. Those four years in Washington? Pretty solid, actually. Smith managed 24.5 sacks while learning how to terrorize quarterbacks in the nation’s capital. Not Hall of Fame numbers, but respectable enough to earn him a ticket to Green Bay, where he proceeded to have the best season of his career with 12 sacks in 2019.

Fast forward through five and a half seasons with the Packers, a brief pit stop in Pittsburgh (where he managed 2 sacks in eight games, which is basically NFL purgatory), and now here we are—full circle, baby.

The Reunion Nobody Saw Coming

At 32 years old, Smith isn’t exactly in his prime anymore. But here’s the thing about desperate times: they make you do desperate things. And right now, the Commanders are more desperate than a fantasy football owner streaming kickers on a Tuesday night.

Smith brings something this current defensive line desperately needs: experience and the ability to not completely embarrass himself on national television. Sure, he’s not going to single-handedly transform this defense into the ’85 Bears, but he might just provide enough pressure to make opposing quarterbacks actually think twice before taking a stroll in the pocket.

What This Really Means For Washington

Look, nobody’s expecting Smith to turn back the clock and become a Pro Bowl pass rusher overnight. But sometimes, in the brutal world of NFL attrition, you don’t need a superhero—you just need someone who knows what they’re doing and can stay healthy for more than two weeks.

The Commanders’ defensive coordinator is probably doing backflips right now, knowing he has a veteran who can line up anywhere on the defensive front and won’t need a GPS to find the quarterback. In a season where everything that can go wrong has gone wrong, that’s about as good as it gets.