ASHBURN — After spending three-plus years in Robert Griffin III’s shadow, Kirk Cousins will finally have a chance to step into the spotlight.
Cousins was named the Washington Redskins’ starting quarterback by coach Jay Gruden on Monday, clarifying that Cousins would not just start the opener against the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 13 but will fill that role for the foreseeable future.
“We have announced that Kirk Cousins will be the starter for 2015, moving forward,” Gruden said. “I think all three quarterbacks should be commended for their efforts, their willingness to get better, but when it’s all said and done, after all the film we’ve gone through, all the offseason activity, all the training camp footage, we feel like at this time Kirk Cousins gives us the best chance to win, and that’s where we’re going.”
Players were informed of the decision during a team meeting on Monday morning. Cousins took the first-team snaps during the brief portion of practice open to reporters, with Griffin following Colt McCoy as the third-string quarterback.
How much Griffin’s injury situation played into that decision remains uncertain, though Gruden said it was “a decision that you don’t make in one day.” Griffin sustained a concussion in a preseason game against the Detroit Lions on Aug. 20 and was not cleared to play on Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens, a 31-13 victory in which Cousins started and played the first half.
Drafted 100 picks after Griffin in 2012, Cousins has played in 14 games for the Redskins, twice replacing Griffin for sizeable stints — at the end of 2013, when he was benched by then-coach Mike Shanahan, and last season, when Griffin missed six games with a dislocated left ankle.
SEE ALSO: Robert Griffin III facing uncertain future after being benched by Redskins
“It’s a step in the process,” Cousins said. “It doesn’t feel like a finish line, by any means. I feel like the work is still ahead of us, obviously. Just a step in the process, and it’s one more reason just to keep working.”
Cousins has had his own share of struggles — primarily with his decision-making, as he has thrown 19 interceptions during his career. His stint replacing Griffin last season ended in a game against the Tennessee Titans in Week 7 after he threw an interception in the first half, and after McCoy led the team to a come-from-behind victory, Cousins was relegated to a third-string role for the final 10 weeks.
On Saturday, Cousins completed 20 of 27 passes for 190 yards with a touchdown and an interception against the Ravens, marking his first extensive action with the first-team offense since the team reconvened for the start of training camp late last month.
After last season, when the Redskins cycled through all three quarterbacks, Gruden stated his intentions to host an open competition through the offseason and training camp. That plan fell by the wayside by mid-February, when, speaking at the NFL combine in Indianapolis, he abruptly announced that Griffin would enter the season as the starter.
The decision was seen as a way for the Redskins to allow Griffin to grow into the role, trusting that he could master Gruden’s offense during the offseason program before returning to training camp with a better grasp of his responsibilities. Griffin could also use the time to move on from a season in which he struggled to adapt to the system, a problem exacerbated by a dislocated left ankle that kept him from playing in six games.
Griffin looked more comfortable early in training camp, but there were plenty of questions as to how he would perform in a game, given that the Redskins’ defense had grown intimately familiar with the offense and players were not permitted to tackle or make contact with the quarterback. His preseason debut was encouraging; he played 18 snaps over two drives and finished 4-for-8 for 36 yards against the Cleveland Browns on Aug. 13, though a potential 61-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garçon was dropped in the red zone.
SEE ALSO: Kirk Cousins captured Redskins’ starting quarterback role through belief, hard work
The concussion, sustained with 9:31 remaining in the second quarter of a game against the Detroit Lions on Aug. 20, had originally subsisted to the point where Griffin was cleared on Thursday night to play against the Ravens. A day later, an independent neurologist overruled that decision, judging an examination of Griffin’s medical results did not show enough progress to allow him to play.
Gruden said after Saturday’s game that Griffin won’t be evaluated again by a neurologist until later this week. It was already unlikely Griffin would play in the Redskins’ final preseason game on Thursday, in which they host the Jacksonville Jaguars; McCoy will play that whole game, Gruden said.
Griffin and Cousins are each entering the final season of their four-year rookie contracts, but as a first-round pick, Griffin’s deal included a team option that was exercised by the Redskins in April. That extra year will pay Griffin $16.1 million, though the team has no obligation to pay him that money and can cut him without penalty this offseason if he passes his exit physical.
• Zac Boyer can be reached at zboyer@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.