It seems far away now, the sweltering August heat and the sight of Colt McCoy running sprints from one end of the practice field to the other.
As the Washington Redskins prepared for their second preseason game, there were never questions about whether McCoy would eventually supplant Robert Griffin III. Nobody wondered if the well-traveled veteran would, or even could, outlast and outperform Washington’s younger, more promising quarterbacks.
At that point, the only question surrounding McCoy was whether he’d survive cut-down day.
“[I] just want to go out there and compete, do my best with the reps that I get and help the guys around me play their best,” he said then. “You never know what will happen.”
Nobody could have known. In the three months since, McCoy has occupied every spot on the Redskins’ quarterback depth chart. He backed up Kirk Cousins after Griffin dislocated his ankle in Week 2, then replaced Cousins in Week 7, then led the Redskins to a stunning overtime victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8, then returned to the bench in Week 9.
Now, McCoy is the last quarterback standing. On Wednesday, coach Jay Gruden announced that the 28-year-old from Texas will start Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. He will take the field instead of Griffin, who has been benched for the second time in two years, and Cousins, who will likely be inactive for a fourth straight game.
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“We’re searching for answers on offense,” Gruden said. “Due to our recent struggles offensively, I thought I would try a change at the helm. … We’re not trying to pin all the problems offensively onto Robert, but we just feel like Colt deserves another opportunity, being that he had a lot of success as the starter.”
McCoy is 7-15 as a starting quarterback in his professional career, but he has led the Redskins to victory in each of his two appearances this year. He replaced Cousins at halftime against the Tennessee Titans, guiding Washington to a 19-17 win on a last-second field goal, then started the following week in a Monday night game against the Dallas Cowboys. He completed 25 of 30 passes for 299 yards and one interception in an eventual 20-17 win.
There is a chance that McCoy could falter and Griffin, who is now No. 2 on Washington’s depth chart, could play again this season. But Gruden made it clear Wednesday: given McCoy’s penchant for winning this season, it is his job to lose.
“I’m prepared to give Colt every opportunity to keep the job, yes,” Gruden said. “Right now, we’re just focused on giving Colt every opportunity to succeed this week. And if he does, he’ll be the quarterback next week. And if he does, he’ll be the quarterback the following week. He’s an experienced quarterback. He’s got some games under his belt in the NFL. He’s got a little bit more experience than these other two guys have here and, you know, he plays like it.”
Gruden was a fan of McCoy’s even before he signed in Washington as a free agent over the offseason. The four-year veteran had never been a third-string quarterback and initially had no intention to visit the Redskins, let alone sign a contract with them. He said the enthusiasm shown by Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen in their first meeting together convinced him otherwise.
Gruden said he has turned to McCoy because he feels the five-year veteran gives the Redskins the best chance to win Sunday. But it certainly doesn’t hurt that they have a shared understanding of the West Coast offense, creating an additional level of comfort for both player and coach.
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“For me, as a quarterback, I think Jay expects us to make the right decisions with the football, get us in the right plays when he asks us to get us in those plays versus blitz, versus different coverages that we see, go to the right place with the football — just make good decisions,” McCoy said. “I just want to go out there and distribute the football, be smart and score points.”
The constant change at quarterback this season, which Gruden referred to Wednesday as a “merry-go-round,” has made it difficult for the rest of the offense to play to its potential. The bright side, several players said, is that they have now become used to that instability. And they have equal faith in all three of the quarterbacks, no matter who takes the field.
“There’s no difference in the level of confidence I feel about each guy,” fullback Darrel Young. “I just want to win the game, regardless of who’s at quarterback. So if [wide receiver] Andre Roberts has to go play quarterback, I’m going to be confident. You have to be.”
Gruden said Griffin, who was not permitted to speak with reporters, was not pleased with the news that he was being benched. McCoy, who started 21 games over three seasons for the Cleveland Browns, knows the feeling all too well.
“I accept all the responsibility of my past and the first couple years of my career,” he said. “We didn’t win games, and unfortunately, I lost my job because of it. I accept that. But I’ve also learned from that. I’ve grown up. I’ve watched good quarterbacks play. I truly feel like I’m in a place where I can be successful with the offense that we run.”
Gruden feels that way, too. So with five games remaining in another disappointing season, he is turning to McCoy, the journeyman who at one point wasn’t even sure he’d make the team.
“I feel very strongly that players who play well, practice well, deserve another opportunity if they do,” Gruden said. “And I feel that very strongly about Colt. I feel like he deserves an opportunity to get a shot again.”
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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