The Washington Redskins made the first move in directing the team in a new and better direction for 2015 and beyond. The team officially announced the hire of Scot McCloughan as their general manager and he is downplaying the idea major changes are needed. While stating that he intends to help build Washington back through the draft, that does not mean abandon Robert Griffin III for a first-round quarterback.
Speculation has been high regarding the future of Griffin especially after it was announced that head coach Jay Gruden would be returning. The two did not exactly work well together as Griffin is not the ideal type of quarterback for the head coach's system. Tension was reported and many believed that if Gruden stayed then Griffin was gone. However, McCloughan does not believe in giving up on Griffin so quickly and stresses that he will return to Washington.
"I think (the 2015) season is going to tell a lot," McCloughan said, via WTEM-FM's Sports Fix. "We'll see what happens heading up to the draft and all that stuff, but I don't think you ever give up on a young quarterback that ...took you to the playoffs as a rookie. I really don't think you do that. Because they're so hard to find and he's still young. Give him the benefit of the doubt, he's been banged up. You can say, 'Yeah, the grass is greener,' but who can we go get? If all of a sudden he goes somewhere and starts lighting it up, you know? And Jay (Gruden's) system, that's a tough system the first year to learn. So, I'm very curious to see how his second year goes. Very curious. I think you need to give him some time. It's the most important position on the field for any organization."
Gruden will ultimately make the quarterback call for the Redskins, but the general manager's words will carry weight. The Redskins will likely not have Colt McCoy back and possibly not Kirk Cousins. That has linked the team to drafting either Jameis Winston or potentially dealing for someone like Jay Cutler or signing Brian Hoyer. Right now, it appears that McCloughan is preparing to go all-in for Griffin for at least another season. The team might not pick up on his fifth-year option, but they will give him one more chance to start.
