The Washington Redskins have RG3 as the starter this year at quarterback and that is why any trade with Kirk Cousins to the Houston Texans or St. Louis Rams will not be going down, as Robert Griffin III has not shown yet that he can make it through a full season without getting hurt and that means Jay Gruden may have to rely on Cousins to start multiple games in 2014.
Last season the Redskins had a terrible year and with RG3 dealing with some injuries again, Cousins had to step in and take over and he played well. Cousins was selected in the same draft as Griffin and at the time many wondered why, but so far it has been a smart move. Cousins has shown that he is a capable and at times better starter than RG3 and while no one is saying that he is a "better" athlete than Griffin, he has shown that in some respects, he is when it comes to being a starting quarterback in the NFL, which is very different than just being a great player.
According to ESPN.com, Joe Theismann says that if it was a real quarterback competition this year, Cousins would be in over Griffin. This preseason Cousins has played well while Griffin has struggled, but there has been no question so far for Jay Gruden that Griffin is his starter. Griffin has shown that he can be a dynamic player and he previously won rookie of the year, but he has also shown that he cannot stay healthy for a full 16-game schedule.
According to Mark Maske on Twitter, Cousins is a name that has come up multiple times in trade rumors over the past few months and also this week after Sam Bradford went down with an ACL injury. The Browns offered a fourth round pick for Cousins before the NFL draft and that was rejected and now Cousins could be a target for the Rams. So far there has been no movement on that front and Maske writes that the Redskins will not be looking to trade Cousins due to the fact that Griffin has been struggling in the preseason.
Cousins wasn't amazing or anything like that last season, but he was solid and ended up with 854 yards passing and in his career he has eight picks and 10 interceptions. That's nothing special, but he has shown that he can handle starting in the NFL and with the addition of DeSean Jackson, the passing game should be much more potent. The main reason why the Redskins will not trade Cousins is because of the uncertainty with Griffin.
Even if the team keeps him as the starter no matter how he plays, Griffin is likely to miss time. Out of the six years he has spent playing in Washington and Baylor combined, Griffin has only played in a full schedule twice and that means Cousins likely will be in the mix at some point this year. Whether you like him or not, Griffin has an odd attitude problem and he often takes the "me against the world" position even when no one is against him. Either way, Cousins is likely to play this year at some point.