The Facts: During practice Wednesday, Smith targeted a covered Doctson twice, giving him a shot at catching a contested pass. The first one, an out-breaking route vs. corner Josh Norman, was wide and ended up out of bounds. The second one dropped over the head of corner Orlando Scandrick and in front of safety D.J. Swearinger to a leaping Doctson. It resulted in a gain of approximately 30 yards. For Doctson, the Redskins hope it's a continuation of his development. For Smith, they hope it's what they also see during the season, a quarterback placing trust in his wideouts.

Diehards Line: According to ESPN.com's John Keim, this was a topic last year with Kirk Cousins. HC Jay Gruden said late in the season that he wanted Cousins to trust his receivers more. Through two practices open to the media, Smith has shown a willingness to do that. He's not reckless; he's thrown only 33 interceptions the last five years combined. He hasn't been intercepted in the two open sessions. He has thrown passes that have given receivers a chance to make plays. Last week, Smith took shots with Paul Richardson on two deep balls -- and he wasn't completely open on either. Richardson caught one and the other was broken up by corner Quinton Dunbar. Gruden, a former quarterback, said throwing these 50-50 passes doesn't just help the receiver. "We don't know if these guys can come down with the ball unless we give them some opportunities," Gruden said. Sounds like that will be less of an issue this season.