The Washington Redskins are starting Kirk Cousins on Saturday night in their preseason game against the Ravens after RG3 suffered a concussion and now Robert Griffin III could miss the season opener and that could leave Cousins or Colt McCoy as the starter.
Griffin previously suffered a head injury in the last preseason game and according to Pro Football Talk, the quarterback has been ruled out for Saturday's game. The Redskins put out a statement about Griffin's status on Friday and it came after an NFL independent neurologist deemed him not ready to go. Head coach Jay Gruden previously said that if Griffin was cleared to play, he would suit up for the Redskins as the starter in the third preseason game.
Griffin has not looked good in the preseason and the Redskins offense (and the offensive line) has been a mess and now Cousins will have the chance to impress. Cousins may start in Week 1 if he plays well, according to Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN. The Griffin concussion situation could give Cousins the opening he needs to take the starter's job and if he struggles, Colt McCoy could get a chance after that.
This game was being hyped up as an important one for Griffin and the Redskins and now RG3 will be out of action for the time being. There is a chance that Griffin will be ready for the start of the season, but at this point there is a risk that he could be out. Griffin needs to show something this season, as the Redskins have a major decision to make on him once the year is over. Griffin is coming into his fourth year and since he broke out as a rookie, things have been a mixed bag with injuries and inconsistent play.
The Redskins have invested a ton in Griffin and after another down year in 2014, the team is expecting some improvement on offense and from the quarterback this season. Griffin only played in nine games last season and had four touchdowns with six interceptions and was never able to get into a good rhythm. Griffin was injured for part of 2013 and while he put up some solid numbers, they were not close to what he did his rookie season, with his rushing yards and passing touchdowns both decreasing and his interceptions doubling.
Ed Werder at ESPN reported last week that GM Scot McCloughan is looking to "change the culture" of the team and now he may have a new starting QB situation to deal with. Cousins has played sporadically over the past three seasons and last year he appeared in a career high six games and threw for 10 touchdowns while completing 61 percent of his passes.
