Ron Rivera has hinted Dwayne Haskins role as Washington Football Team's starting quarterback is not secure and Alex Smith could challenge him as he bids to make a remarkable comeback.

Haskins – a first-round draft pick in 2019 – seemed set to serve as Washington's first-choice quarterback in 2020 after an indifferent rookie season.

The 23-year-old shared quarterback duties last year, but Case Keenum has since moved on to the Cleveland Browns.

However, Rivera has suggested it will not be straightforward for Haskins, with veteran Alex Smith making progress towards a return to the field few thought possible when he suffered a compound fracture of his tibia and fibula in 2018.

The devastating injury saw Smith miss the entire 2019 season, with the former first overall pick then developing life-threatening sepsis and requiring 17 surgeries to prevent his leg from being amputated.

Smith was cleared to resume football activities in July but remains on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.

"The biggest thing we've got to do is not make sure we're divvying up the reps as evenly as possible, but we divvy up who they work against," Rivera told a news conference.

"This could be a very interesting challenge for us because of Alex Smith. If Alex is healthy and continues to get healthy and we do activate him, he's going to be in the throes of this competition.

"It's going to unfold very nicely as a football team for us because competition is only going to make you better. It's going to push the young guys as well.

"I just feel really good about what we're going to be doing as we start going forward. It'll be a very challenging situation to make sure everybody's reps are equitable, and their competition is the same."

While Rivera seems set on giving Smith a chance, he also backed Haskins to become a leader for the team this season.

"I think the one thing I did say to Dwayne in one of the opportunities he came to first see me was being the leader is not just what you do on the football field, but what you do off of the football field as well," Rivera said.

"He's taken that to heart and has done a great job. He's competing, he's doing the things we need him to do, he's being very professional about the way he's handling himself and he's really been very thoughtful in terms of his actions.

"So that's one thing that's been a big plus. It really has. I've been really pleased with what we've got from him."