The Washington Redskins are heading into the 2014 season looking to rebound with new head coach Jay Gruden taking over and having a healthy Robert Griffin III will be crucial as he comes back from a knee injury and heading into the NFL draft next month, there is a chance the team could trade Kirk Cousins after signing Colt McCoy and they have some interesting options in the draft after signing DeSean Jackson as a free agent.
The Redskins won just three games last season and they finished last in the NFC East after winning the division the previous season and Griffin is looking to rebound after he was pulled and shut down at the end of last year. Griffin had a fantastic rookie season and led the Redskins to the playoffs while passing for 3,025 yards, 20 touchdowns and only five interceptions, but he regressed a bit last season and completed 60 percent of his passes with 12 interceptions and he only played in 13 games.
Griffin has praised Gruden coming in and the new offense that the team will be running and he also expressed excitement about having DeSean Jackson to reporters in a media interview. Last season Jackson had a career season with over 80 catches and 1,300 yards and now he is with the Redskins after the Eagles released him during the offseason. The Redskins were enveloped in drama all season last year regarding Griffin, head coach Mike Shanahan and owner Daniel Snyder and now the team is hoping all that has been smoothed over and Griffin said he was ready to bounce back this season.
The Redskins signed Colt McCoy during the offseason and ESPN.com reported that the team would be open to trading Kirk Cousins, but no deals went down. That could change leading into the NFL draft, as the Redskins had to give up their first round pick to the St. Louis Rams from the trade that got the team Griffin and that ended up being the number two overall in the draft.
Last season the Redskins ranked 16th in the league in passing yards per game and fifth in rushing yards per game and the defense was ranked in the middle of the pack in both rushing and passing yards allowed per game in 2013. The Redskins went 0-6 in the division last season and just 1-11 within the NFC and they will be looking to rebound from their 3-13 record. Washington opens the season against the Houston Texans in Week 1 and then the team will play against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Philadelphia Eagles before a Thursday night matchup with the New York Giants.
