The Washington Redskins are preparing for training camp this summer and a trade with Kirk Cousins is likely not going down, as the team doesn't feel the need to trade the backup for RG3 this close to the season starting and this comes after the Cleveland Browns offered a draft pick for Robert Griffin III's backup during the NFL draft and that was rebuffed by Jay Gruden.
The Redskins had a down season in 2013 and now they have the chance to bounce back and it looks like Cousins will be there to help out. The Redskins are taking cues from some other teams in the league, including the Patriots and Vikings, by not trading their backup, hanging onto them just in case of injuries or other issues. The Pats could trade Ryan Mallett and the Vikings could move Christian Ponder, but those teams would rather have a player with some experience behind their starters and Cousins fits that bill behind Griffin.
The Redskins are coming into the season after going just 3-13 last year and they did not win a single game against the division and to rebound in 2014 that will need to change. The team has a new head coach in Jay Gruden and Robert Griffin is coming back healthy after missing the end of last year after getting shut down. Mike Shanahan is out and that never seemed to click right with RG3 and the team made a number of new additions in free agency as well. Bringing in DeSean Jackson was big and he will be a player that makes a big impact for Griffin and the team also drafted Lache Seastrunk from Baylor to help Alfred Morris handle the rushing load.
Last season the Redskins ranked fifth in the league in rushing with over 130 yards on the ground per game, but they ranked just 16th in passing yards with less than 235 yards per game. Griffin being healthy for a full season should help that and he really needs to bounce back, as the Redskins were a mess last year and ended up finishing lower than the Giants even though they started 0-6. The defense was not consistent last season and Gruden is hoping he can turn that around despite being an offensive minded guy. The team ranked 20th in passing yards per game and they were also 17th in rushing yards per game.
The Redskins open the season with a favorable schedule, as they will play against Houston and Jacksonville before matching up with the Eagles and Giants. Things get tough with a home matchup against the Redskins that is a playoffs rematch from before last year and the team plays on the road against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8 and that will be on Monday night football. The end of the season is a gauntlet, as the Redskins play against the Giants on the road before finishing up with the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.
According to ESPN.com, there will be one-minute ad Tuesday for Game 3 of the finals between the Heat and the Spurs regarding the racist nickname of the team. The report says that the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation will run the ad and that it will target Washington, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York and Sacramento.