While Washington has seen some decent QB play from Kirk Cousins in the past three seasons, it has been awhile since the entire team has been settled through controversy at the signal calling position. Now, with veteran Alex Smith at the helm, things are finally coming around for the Redskins.

In the past 30 years, it has been a wild run for the quarterback position. The situation has not been figured out for a long time in Washington, but after the acquisition of 14-year veteran Smith, it looks like the locker room can settle down and build around the three-time Pro Bowler.

Most recently, before Smith when Cousins was playing in the District of Columbia, even though he was playing well, the locker room was still split between him playing and that of Robert Griffin III. After that feud, Cousins would also play on franchise tag deals, which only guarantee him for one season of play. Year in and out for the past several seasons, players for the Redskins wouldn’t know if the culture of the team was going to revolve and be built around the Michigan State alum. As it turns out, he left this past offseason to sign a huge deal with Minnesota.

So when the front office made a deal with Kansas City to ship Smith over, it panned out extremely well for the team. Running Back Chris Thompson told USA TODAY Sports believes in the quiet, yet strong leader.

“So, he’s come in, quiet and calm and not making a lot of noise. He’s like, I want to win, I want Super Bowls. He’s not thinking about anything else. Because he’s got everything else already. And on top of that, we’ve got a quarterback that we know is going to be around for the next three years. So, having a guy that you know is established here and going to be here for a while, it makes all the guys feel good, honestly.”

Knowing you have a solid, determined signal caller who has a ton of experience in this league would make anyone on an NFL roster happy. Thompson is lucky because he gets to share the backfield with Smith. They sent a great offering in the trade for Smith, which included cornerback Kendal Fuller and a third-round pick for the QB.

The organization is ready to commit to Smith for the long haul. They signed him to a four-year, $94 million extension. This satisfies both parties, as well as the Washington locker room. Now that the experienced passer has a contract under his belt, he can be the star and leader that the Redskins have needed for some time. Someone who has an emphatic presence and can gain the trust from the players surrounding him.

“It’s all about coming in and doing the work,” Smith told USA TODAY. “I think for me, being authentic. No B.S. I’ve been in a lot of situations: uncomfortable, ugly, great, and everything in between and you try to reference those situations that help you as new ones come along.

Washington head coach Jay Gruden is excited to have his new QB. He believes that he can be the fit leader in the huddle every snap, because he has seen it before when the Redskins squared off against the Chiefs. Smith has the experience and has lead the 49ers and Chiefs to playoff runs before, but can he prove himself as an elite QB by bringing a Lombardi trophy to the nation’s capital? Only the future can tell.

Featured Image via Flickr/ John Martinez Pavliga