It’s not that Alex Smith has been told he will not play in 2019. It’s that the Washington Redskins simply cannot afford to count on him doing so.
Despite signing Smith to a lucrative four-year extension shortly after trading for him just one year ago, the Redskins are apparently moving on from Smith, per Ian Rapoport, as their assumed starting option given the nature of a recent open fracture to his leg and subsequent post-surgical infection.
Smith’s injury and ongoing infection concerns even after having surgery to fix the fracture have set back his timeline indefinitely. Apparently that is something that Redskins are unable or unwilling to live with.