With OTAs kicking off, a quarterback battle will not be the headline for the Washington Redskins. Head coach Jay Gruden as has named Robert Griffin III the starter and that will not change unless something drastic happens. However, there are other position battles preparing to take place and the run game is one of them. Entering the new year, Alfred Morris is set to be the starter, but his position is not safe as Matt Jones looks to impress.
According to the Washington Post, the Redskins have named Morris the starting running back, but it is no guarantee that is maintained into Week 1. At rookie mini-camp, Jones was a standout showing he has the potential to shake up the roster. Jones told the media that he has every intention of competing for carries in 2015 which is hurting the safety of Morris' top spot.
"We will compete," Jones said, via the Washington Post. "I will compete with anybody who's in front of me. That's why I've got a ton of chips on my shoulder. My college career wasn't what I wanted to be, and I thank God for it, but I really want to have a successful career in the NFL, so that's why I'm really going even harder because I didn't have the college career that I wanted. I think I can add more size to the backfield, more catching out of the backfield, more blocking, protection-wise. I feel like I can do it all. I feel like I can complement Alfred Morris at the same time."
While Morris and Jones are left to battle things out, the same cannot be said for the quarterback spot. Griffin is the starter until proven otherwise leaving Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy to battle for the backup job. Entering the final year of his rookie contract, Cousins is simply hoping to show enough to get a trade to another team. The quarterback has denied that he requested a move from Washington, but rumors continue to swirl.
According to general manager Scot McCloughan, the Redskins have not received any offers for Cousins regarding trades. His role on the team will remain backup as he desperately needs to improve on last year's disastrous stint where he threw more interceptions than touchdowns while a starter. McCoy is looking to prove the same thing which means that area of the quarterback roster could become a storyline to watch.
