The Washington Redskins are coming into OTA workouts with Robert Griffin III as the starter, leaving Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy to battle to for the backup quarterback job for RG3, as head coach Jay Gruden has said he has not yet decided on the number two QB and this comes as rookies Brandon Scherff, Matt Jones and Jamison Crowder have impressed this offseason.
Griffin is coming in after an up and down 2014 season and Gruden said that he is expecting a "big jump" from RG3 this year. Griffin has not been fully healthy in a while and he may finally be that coming into training camp this season after dealing with various injuries. Gruden said to the Washington Post that the team thinks that the offense should be much better in year two of his offense, saying that Griffin should have things be "a lot more natural" for the second year of the scheme.
Last season Griffin played in nine games and had four touchdowns with six interceptions and now the Redskins are hoping that he can last for the season. Last year Colt McCoy and Cousins got playing time behind Griffin with McCoy looking better overall in his chances than Cousins. McCoy was signed in the offseason and while he likely has a slight leg up over Cousins to be the backup, the Redskins plan on using OTAs and training camp to decide who wins it.
According to the Washington Post, Gruden said that Griffin is locked in as the number one starter this offseason, but he has not yet put McCoy or Cousins in as the backup officially yet. Gruden wants the two players to compete for the number two position and Liz Clarke reports that he "expects both" to "push RG3 for the starting job." That likely is more about motivation than anything, but after the way things went last year there is a chance that McCoy or Cousins gets some playing time this season. Last season Cousins played in six games last season and threw for 1710 yards with 10 touchdowns and nine picks.
McCoy played in five games and he completed his passes at a better clip than Cousins and also beat the Cowboys in one of his starts. McCoy threw for 1057 yards with four touchdowns and three picks and now he could be the backup for Griffin and could be in line to start if he struggles. The offense is expected to get a boost from the first draft class by Scot McCloughan, as players like Matt Jones, Jamison Crowder and first round pick Brandon Scherff have been impressive in rookie camp and workouts.
Jones comes in as a third round pick and has the chance to contribute behind Alfred Morris, who has been one of the most worked backs in football the past few years. Jones comes in as a third down option and with his speed he could help push Silas Redd and Chris Thompson on the depth chart. Scherff comes in and could start right away, while Crowder is looking like a strong third or fourth WR option. Crowder played four years at Duke and was very productive, while Scherff was considered to be the best offensive lineman in the draft.