After leading Washington to victory in relief of the injured Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins declared, “This is Robert’s team.” But it may not be RG3’s team for long.
Coach Jay Gruden was asked today if Cousins could play well enough in the coming weeks to hold onto the starting job even after Griffin’s dislocated ankle has healed well enough for him to play. Gruden declined to give a definitive answer.
“We’ll cross that bridge when that comes. Right now we’re going to prepare with Kirk Cousins as our starter, and Robert’s going to rehab. All decisions after that will come after that,” he said.
Cousins played very well on Sunday, completing 22 of 33 passes for 250 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Of course, that was in a home game against Jacksonville, one of the worst teams in the league. But if Cousins plays that well again next week in Philadelphia, and he leads his team to a win on the road against the NFC East rival Eagles, the calls for Cousins to keep the job will increase. If he keeps playing well, it’s going to be hard for Gruden to send him to the bench when Griffin is ready to go.
Gruden, however, isn’t going to commit to either quarterback until he has to.