In the wake of Colt McCoy coming off the bench to lead Washington to its second win of the season, there's been a lot of speculation as to whether Jay Gruden will give him the nod over the struggling Kirk Cousins next Monday night. But Gruden may have a third option open to him: Robert Griffin III.
RG3 in the mix at QB for Washington next Monday
Colt McCoy may have wrestled the placeholder job away from Kirk Cousins, but it’s possible Griffin could be ready to go the next time Washington takes the field.
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Gruden said that his injured star, who hasn't played since dislocating his ankle in Week 2, could be cleared to practice this Wednesday and could potentially start against the Dallas Cowboys next week, according to The Washington Post. Griffin began running drills last week.
“You’d like to have your decision made as soon as possible to get ‘em ready,” Gruden said during his postgame press conference Sunday. “Then you throw Robert in the mix. Robert has a chance to practice on Wednesday, so we’ll have to see where he is – see where he is health-wise, and from there I will make a decision from watching the tape of what I’m going to do.”
Gruden has made it clear that Griffin is the starter whenever he returns, but has said previously he'd like his quarterback to have at least two weeks of practice before returning to the lineup. If Gruden sticks to that plan, we won't see Griffin until Nov. 2 against the Minnesota Vikings at the earliest.
That’s where things get really interesting.
If Griffin sits for another week, Gruden will be deciding between Cousins and McCoy. The former, who has filled in since Griffin went down, was benched at halftime against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday after throwing his eighth interception in his last three starts. McCoy proceeded to make a strong argument for himself, completing 11 of his 12 passes (the first of which was a 70-yard score) for 128 yards and leading Washington back from a halftime deficit. He went 5-of-6 passing on a 76-yard drive that put his team in position for the game-winning field goal as time expired.
“It’s a good sign the way Colt finished the game, ran the offense,” Gruden said. “[It was] very smart and very efficient. [He] did some good things.”
That’s not an endorsement for the starting job, but it’s hard to imagine Gruden not turning back to McCoy if Griffin can’t go.
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