When Washington, fresh from its second win of the season, heads to Dallas with the goal of hanging a second loss on the Cowboys, there’s a chance coach Jay Gruden won’t be confined to two possible quarterback options.
As explained by Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com, Gruden’s selection may come from a list of three -- Kirk Cousins, Colt McCoy, or Robert Griffin III.
Griffin dislocated his ankle five weeks ago. Per Tandler, Griffin worked out on the field prior to Sunday, with drop-backs and full-speed bootlegs. (You know, the stuff Griffin did on the field during pregame workouts in the 2013 preseason, before he returned too soon from his torn ACL.) Griffin has not yet received medical clearance to play.
“You would like to have your decision made as soon as possible,” Gruden said of preparations for next Monday night. “Now, you throw Robert into the mix. Robert has a chance to practice on Wednesday and we have to see where he is. See where he is health-wise, and from there I will make a decision from watching the tape of what I’m going to do.”
Given Griffin’s struggles last year when he clearly wasn’t fully recovered following reconstructive knee surgery, some close to Griffin will be nudging him to wait until he’s clearly 100 percent. But Griffin surely will be hoping to play in his return to Texas -- especially after last year’s homecoming didn’t go as well as his first one.
As a rookie, Griffin had a memorable Thanksgiving Day performance in Dallas, with four touchdown passes and 303 yards passing in a 38-31 victory over the Cowboys. Last year, he had two turnovers, no touchdowns, and a completion percentage under 50 percent in a 31-16 loss there.
If Griffin doesn’t get clearance, Gruden could decide to go with McCoy over Cousins. Which would make sense; McCoy led the team to a win on Sunday. Cousins, after some early success, has looked like anything but a viable starting quarterback for which Washington could get a first-round pick in trade.
