Washington Names Kirk Cousins Starting QB
11:42am: Speaking today to reporters, including Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com (Twitter link), head coach Jay Gruden confirmed that Cousins will be Washington’s starting quarterback not just for Week 1, but for the 2015 season.
Jeff Darlington of the NFL Network tweets that Griffin’s camp may be caught off guard by this announcement, since they were led to believe Cousins starting Week 1 was a result of RGIII’s health, and the concussion protocol.
9:48am: With Robert Griffin III‘s health and long-term future in Washington in flux, the club has named Kirk Cousins its starting quarterback for Week 1, a source tells Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter links). According to Russini, the team was informed by Washington staff this morning that Cousins will be the starter against the Dolphins.
The news comes on the heels of a Sunday report which indicated that a contingent of the Washington front office wants to move on from RGIII. While that report suggested that team ownership was opposed to a Griffin trade, Mike Jones of the Washington Post hears from two sources that Daniel Snyder isn’t blocking his front office and coaching staff from dealing the quarterback. A trade is unlikely for a handful of other factors though, including RGIII’s contract and his injury history. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets that there have been no trade talks involving the QB.
Whatever the future holds for Griffin, he won’t be starting Washington’s Week 1 game, as Cousins has been penciled in for that role after a solid showing in the team’s preseason contest this past weekend. The former fourth-round pick, who turned 27 earlier this month, has nine career starts on his NFL resume, having played in 14 games in total. In his limited regular season action, Cousins has thrown more interceptions (19) than touchdowns (18), with a 59.0% completion percentage.
If Cousins struggles in the starting role and Griffin is unable to return to action, Colt McCoy would be the next man up in Washington. Both Cousins and McCoy are eligible for free agency after this season, while Washington still holds an option year on Griffin, currently guaranteed for injury only.
Latest On Washington’s QB Dilemma
Kirk Cousins got the surprise start in last night’s preseason game against Baltimore after Robert Griffin III, the presumptive starter heading into the season, was deemed medically unready to play by an independent neurologist. In a series of tweets, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports passes on a few notes on the matter from Washington head coach Jay Gruden.
First, Gruden noted that the team had originally received a verbal report from an independent doctor that Griffin was cleared to play, and then it received an email report that contradicted the verbal and that compelled the club to make a sudden change within a 24-hour window. Also, despite an earlier report that Washington had already determined Cousins would be the Week 1 starter, Gruden stated that he would not announce anything until he had reviewed Griffin’s medicals. Per Mike Jones of The Washington Post (via Twitter), Griffin will receive further tests on Friday, and Jones added in a separate tweet that Gruden, GM Scot McCloughan, team president Bruce Allen, and owner Dan Snyder would have a “long talk” at some point in the near future to finalize Washington’s plans under center.
But even though Gruden would not announce a Week 1 starter last night, the fact that he would not commit to starting Griffin even if RGIII has been cleared to return is significant in and of itself, writes Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com. John Keim of ESPN.com agrees, pointing out that Cousins was far from perfect in last night’s game, but that he did more than enough to reignite the quarterback controversy in Washington.
It looks like we won’t have a formal announcement until sometime next week at the earliest, but at the moment, Cousins seems to have the inside track on the starting job for Week 1. What happens beyond that is anyone’s guess.
NFC Notes: RGIII, Packers, Saints
The Packers will have some work to do in the next couple of weeks as they look to reduce their current 88-man roster to 53. Even though they need to trim a third of their preseason roster, general manager Ted Thompson told Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com that he’ll still be eyeing the waiver wire prior to the regular season.
“We look, like everybody else,” Thompson said. “We do a lot of that work and we do it every week, so it’s non-stop because games are played on Monday and Thursday and Friday and Saturday, so it’s non-stop. We’re always trying to catch up.”
“It could be guys that you would potential consider trading for or putting in a claim for or that sort of thing. It runs the gamut because you’re kind of guessing what the home team, so to speak, wants to do with a player. The home team might love this player and you know you’re not going to get your hands on him, so you move on. At the same time, you find guys from time to time where the teams aren’t quite as attached to.”
Let’s check out some more notes from the NFC…
- Washington general manager Scot McCloughan is “determined to change [the] team culture,” reports ESPN.com’s Ed Werder (via Twitter). Those changes would include moving on from quarterback Robert Griffin III.
- Kirk Cousins may not only be starting this evening’s preseason game for Washington, as ESPN’s Dianna Marie Russini tweets that the plan is to have the former fourth-rounder start Week 1.
- Evan Woodbury of NOLA.com writes that wideout Willie Snead‘s strong preseason has put the player in a position to make the Saints. “I think he’s done well. He’s very competitive. He’s got some real good football instincts,” said coach Sean Payton. “He’s right there in the thick of it, competing for playing time, competing for a roster spot. He made a couple of plays tonight. He’s doing a good job.”
- Drew Brees‘ role as the Saints number-one quarterback is obviously safe, and rookie Garrett Grayson seems to have a solid hold on the number-three spot. That leaves Luke McCown and Ryan Griffin competing for the backup spot, and Woodbury writes that McCown appears to be leading the competition.
- Former Canisius power forward Chris Manhertz is trying to catch on with the Saints as a tight end, and Brett Martel of the Associated Press writes that the former Bills project is using Jimmy Graham (a former basketball player) as inspiration. “Absolutely,” Manhertz said. “It’s really amazing to see how smoothly (Graham) made the transition and where he’s at now, and playing at a high level.”
Poll: Will Robert Griffin III Be The Starter In Washington?
Despite suffering a concussion in his preseason game against the Lions, Robert Griffin III was back on the practice field earlier this week, prepping for an important third preseason game against the Ravens.
After being underwhelming so far this offseason, and frankly ever since his rookie season, this matchup against the Ravens was becoming increasingly important to his long-term future in Washington. If he continued to struggle, especially into the regular season, it would make it easier for the coaching staff to see what they have in Kirk Cousins, who has been as popular as a backup quarterback could be to the fans in the city.
In a surprising twist, today an independent neurologist Robert N. Kurtzke disagreed with the decision that Griffin was ready to play, and instead recommended that he be held out of this weekend’s preseason action, according to Lindsay Murphy Guyer of Fox (via Twitter).
This reversal was followed with a storm of speculation and discussion surrounding the status of Griffin in Washington. There had already been rumors of him alienating teammates, not getting along with his offensive linemen, and clashing with his coaching staff.
This might not be a big deal elsewhere, other than that a starting quarterback was missing preseason action, but it is magnified in Washington because of the path Griffin’s career has taken. Cousins has pushed Griffin in the past, and despite a poor track record of individual success as a starter, often seems like the best alternative on the team.
If Griffin indeed misses the rest of the preseason, he will be starting Week 1 coming off two weeks of inconsistent play followed by two weeks of inactivity. That alone could be enough for head coach Jay Gruden to push Cousins into the starting lineup. Even if Griffin starts, his leash might have shortened due to this most recent injury, even if it isn’t his fault. The drama seems to follow him, and owner Daniel Snyder can’t protect him forever.
Griffin is still the starter for the beginning of the season until something changes, but Cousins will get an opportunity to work with the starters for an extended period of time and likely one or both of the remaining preseason games. Griffin’s job wasn’t secure to begin with, and this only shakes things up even more.
At this juncture, Griffin’s future in Washington looks even more bleak. Beyond 2015, it was questionable whether the team would stay with him without a bounce back year. Now, even his status for 2015 is in doubt. Without valuable preseason reps, Cousins is closer than ever to winning the starting job outright, and Griffin’s injury history suggests Cousins will start eventually anyway.
The question is, whether by coach’s decision or by injury, who will start more games at quarterback in Washington this season? Cast your vote in the poll and feel free to weigh in below in the comments section to explain your reasoning.
Extra Points: Cousins, Jets, Hilton, Watkins
If Dan Quinn was hired by the Jets instead of Todd Bowles, the team likely would have dumped Geno Smith in favor of Kirk Cousins, Manish Mehta of the Daily News hears. Quinn’s plan for Gang Green included adding offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, and his vision didn’t include Smith. Sources say the Washington play-caller wanted to instead trade for Cousins, who showed promise in two years under Shanahan While you ponder that what-if, here’s more from around the NFL..
- After the Colts signed T.Y. Hilton to a $65MM deal, Stephen Holder of the Indy Star wonders if the team will still have enough room to get deals done with its other young stars. The Colts will have to cut a massive check to Pro Bowl quarterback Andrew Luck, who will command far more than $20MM annually. Also, the team is negotiating with left tackle Anthony Castonzo, who is essential as one of Luck’s protectors. By the time the Colts get to the likes of tight ends Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener, it’s fair to wonder if they’ll have enough cash to get deals done.
- Jets guard Oday Aboushi has been suspended without pay for the first game of the season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets. In a statement issued by Aboushi’s reps (via Rand Getlin of NFL.com on Twitter), they explained that the lineman was stopped in his car back in January when cops found a small amount of pot in his car.
- With the Bills and Browns facing off on Monday night, Chris Fedor of The Plain Dealer revisited last year’s Sammy Watkins deal. Cornerback Justin Gilbert, who the Browns took with the No. 8 pick, has been off to a rough start and some are question whether he’ll ever meet his rookie year expectations. Cleveland’s side of the deal will also hinge heavily on the future of offensive lineman Cameron Erving, who the Browns selected with the Bills’ pick this year.
East Notes: Wilkerson, Washington, Battle
Let’s take a look at a few notes from the league’s east divisions:
- Other writers have opined the same thing, but Darryl Slater of NJ.com definitively asserts that Muhammad Wilkerson, despite some speculation to the contrary, will not be holding out of Jets training camp this month.
- Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com takes a look at five players who may begin the season on the Washington bench but who could crack the starting lineup before the end of the year. He tabs ILB Martrell Spaight and OLB Preston Smith as particularly intriguing players to watch in the Washington front seven.
- Similarly, John Keim of ESPN.com believes Smith will ultimately overtake Trent Murphy as a full-time starter at outside linebacker. Washington‘s coaching staff loves Smith’s length, his hands, and his versatility, and Smith appears to have a much higher ceiling as a pass rusher.
- In the same piece, Keim writes that Kirk Cousins still has fans on the Washington coaching staff and among certain players, but even though he showed flashes of strong play last year, the critical turnovers he made and his inability to respond well to those turnovers have compelled the team to hand Robert Griffin III the starting job.
- Jordan Raanan of NJ.com does not expect the Giants to be interested in any of the players available in the supplemental draft. We heard yesterday that Clemson OT Isaiah Battle may be a good fit for Big Blue, but Raanan thinks otherwise. Although New York may take a flier on Battle in the sixth or seventh round of the supplemental draft, there are likely a number of other teams who will put a much higher value on his talent.
- Shalise Manza Young of The Boston Globe offers her take on the 10 best moves made in the AFC East this offseason.
NFC Links: Mathieu, Washington, Rams
Tyrann Mathieu claims he feels better than ever, and NFL.com’s Conor Orr notes that the Cardinals defensive back is no longer wearing a knee brace or thumb cast. Despite Mathieu being healthy for the first time in his career, the former third-rounder is still tentative about his recovery:
“It just feels good to be free…You try to stay as optimistic as possible, but there is a reality to it, too. It’s kind of hard to keep telling yourself it’s going to be all right, especially when we got into the thick of everything last year, thinking that if I was 100 percent, I’d probably be able to help my team a whole lot more than I’m doing right now.”
Let’s take a look at some more notes from the NFC…
- With OTAs starting next Tuesday, Tarik El-Bashir and Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com discussed Washington‘s situation at quarterback. El-Bashir opines that Colt McCoy has the slight edge over Kirk Cousins for the backup gig, and Tandler believes undrafted rookie Hutson Mason could also put up a fight.
- ESPN.com’s John Keim hypothesizes that Washington could cut cornerback Tracy Porter and save $2.33MM, but the writer doesn’t believe the team has the necessary depth to make that move.
- ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner says the Rams had interest in bringing back offensive lineman Joe Barksdale, and their offer to him early in the season was in the range of $2.5MM to $3MM. Barksdale ultimately bet on himself, and he ended up with a one-year, minimum salary deal from the Chargers.
Washington GM On Draft, Cousins, Extensions
After announcing earlier today that his team had exercised its 2016 option on Robert Griffin III, Washington general manager Scot McCloughan weighed in on a few more topics. Let’s dive right in and round up the highlights from McCloughan’s presser….
- Picking up Griffin’s option won’t change how the team approaches the draft, tweets Tom Schad of the Washington Times. In other words, if the best player available is a quarterback, Washington will select that QB. However, I’d be very surprised if the club used its fifth overall pick on a signal-caller, even if Marcus Mariota is still on the board.
- According to McCloughan, Washington’s draft board is just about set, but the team is open to trading pick and acquiring more picks. In fact, McCloughan says he’d “love” to pick up as many as 10 picks — Washington currently has seven (Twitter links via Mike Jones of the Washington Post and Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com).
- If Leonard Williams is still available by the time Washington’s No. 5 overall pick rolls around, “it might bring a trade more into play,” according to McCloughan (link via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). The club feels good about the its defensive front, and there may be other teams interested in moving up for the USC defensive lineman.
- Per Jones (via Twitter), McCloughan said the team hasn’t received trade offers for Kirk Cousins yet. The GM would be open to listening, but would like to keep Cousins, whom he feels is a good, young quarterback.
- Washington is having ongoing extension discussions with offensive tackle Trent Williams and outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, but there’s nothing imminent, according to El-Bashir (Twitter link).
- McCloughan is targeting players with size and strength in the draft, particularly on the offensive line, tweets Jones.
NFC Notes: Bucs, Peterson, Washington
We rounded up some AFC links earlier this morning, so let’s have a look at a few notes from the NFC.
- Although the Glazer family has never meddled in the Buccaneers‘ personnel decisions to the same degree Jerry Jones has meddled with the Cowboys, Tampa Bay’s ownership has a tradition of assuming a powerful role in the team’s football operations at key moments. According to Ira Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune, the Glazers have been very active in deciding what the Bucs should do with their No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft.
- The Vikings would want at least a second-rounder and a late-round pick for Adrian Peterson, writes Ben Goessling of ESPN.com, who does not expect the team to lower its asking price just to move Peterson.
- The Lions will likely wait until after the draft to address their left guard spot, and when they do, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com expects the team to add a veteran at the position.
- John Mullin of CSNChicago.com writes that, with each signing the Bears make, the job security of those already on the roster becomes more uncertain. That is especially true on the defensive side of the ball, where Chicago has added two linebackers and is moving a 2014 defensive end back to outside linebacker. That means the three Game 16 starters of last season, Jonathan Bostic, Christian Jones, and Shea McClellin, are competing for one vacancy.
- Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wonders if the Rams will select a quarterback in this year’s draft, noting that if they do, they better strike early.
- Rich Tandler and Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com examine Washington‘s depth chart at quarterback. El-Bashir believes the team will draft a signal-caller, which will leave Colt McCoy and Kirk Cousins fighting for one job.
- John Keim of ESPN.com does not believe Washington will bring back Tyler Polumbus or Brandon Meriweather, and he would not be surprised if the team drafted Marcus Mariota if the former Oregon signal-caller is still available when Washington is on the clock.
- Dan Graziano of ESPNNewYork.com writes that, in a perfect world, there would be a clear-cut option at pass-rusher for the Giants to select with their No. 9 overall pick. The problem is that most of the premium pass rushers, outside of perhaps Bud Dupree, look more like 3-4 outside linebackers than 4-3 defensive ends. As such, the team may end up with one of this year’s top offensive lineman, like Brandon Scherff or Ereck Flowers.
NFC Mailbags: Cousins, Boykin, Lions, Vikings
It’s Saturday morning, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening their mailbags and answering questions from readers. Let’s take a look at some notes from the NFC…
- John Keim believes quarterback Kirk Cousins is on Washington‘s roster come the season opener. However, the writer opines that the organization’s long-term quarterback is currently not on the team.
- Cornerback Brandon Boykin could have some value if the Eagles decided to shop him, says Phil Sheridan. Prior to the draft, the writer believes the team could fetch a fourth or fifth-round pick. Following the draft, when team’s begin to evaluate their biggest holes, the Eagles could potentially get a third-rounder in return.
- The Lions could seek some veteran help on the offensive line, but Jake Long or Joe Barksdale might be long shots to join the team, writes Michael Rothstein. If neither player proves to be an upgrade over LaAdrian Waddle, Rothstein believes the organization will pass.
- The Vikings could select a quarterback in one of the middle rounds, but Ben Goessling says the team may have already gotten their developmental signal-caller when they acquired Mike Kafka.