Quarterback Battles: Washington Redskins
In today’s Quarterback Battle, we examine the Washington Redskins, who went on the quarterback carousel last season. Expect them to have several intriguing options for the starting job heading into the 2015 season, including former second-overall pick Robert Griffin III.
Lets examine some of Head Coach Jay Gruden’s options in 2015 at the quarterback position for the Redskins.
Robert Griffin III
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III has gone from the top of the mountain, all the way back down to base camp. The Baylor superstar was due to show big things in the NFL when the Redskins drafted him way back in 2012 (yea, its been that long) but injuries and major inconsistencies have driven his career into a wall. The former OROY performed well initially, but the ACL and ankle injuries have left him stale and skimpish. When old-school coach Mike Shanahan left, some thought the fresh, innovative Jay Gruden could get into Griffin’s head and turn things around in DC. So far that has proven to be untrue. While Griffin is currently listed as the teams starter, expect him to be on the hot-seat all though the rest of the offseason. If he does not succeed and the Redskins end up with a top five pick next year, expect to see Robert Griffin III heading out the door in Washington D.C.
Kirk Cousins
Another inconsistent Redskins quarterback. When Cousins got his chance due to RGIII’s injuries, he was the story of the league. Since then, he has been an inconsistent afterthought in the minds of NFL fans. He clearly has the talent, as demonstrated on game day, but can he use it on a game-to-game basis? When Griffin injured his ankle in Week 2, Cousins came in and again performed well against Jacksonville and Philadelphia. That was pretty much the best Redskins fans ever saw from Cousins. After poor performances over the next couple weeks, he was benched for former Cleveland Browns draft pick Colt McCoy. Cousins never got an opportunity to redeem himself after the multiple poor performances, earning himself a season long benching. The Redskins missed out on trading the former fourth round pick when his value was sky-high, so now they must suffer with the ineffectiveness of their front office and owner.
Oct 19, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Colt McCoy (M) sits on the bench with Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (L) and Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (R) against the Tennessee Titans in the third quarter at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 19-17. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Colt McCoy
Am I the only one seeing a trend here? An inconsistent, underachieving member of the Washington Redskins organization. Who would have ever thought. McCoy entered his first Redskins game after halftime of Week 6, replacing the struggling Cousins. While most don’t see McCoy as a “serious candidate” I would beg to differ. After playing in five games last season, he finished with a QBR of 96.4 and a nice completion percentage of 71.1. The number of sacks the Redskins have been giving up over the past couple season have been devastating for injury-prone quarterbacks like McCoy and Griffin, the addition of first-round pick Brandon Scherff will help tremendously.