Kirk Cousins played so well in his first two games this season that coach Jay Gruden was open to the possibility of Cousins keeping the starting job in Washington even after Robert Griffin III returns. Cousins has played so badly since then that there’s talk in Washington of benching him for third-stringer Colt McCoy.
Brian Mitchell, who played in Washington for 10 seasons and is now a commentator, said on Comcast SportsNet’s post-game show that benching Cousins would make a lot of sense right now.
“I think we have to hold Kirk to the same standard we held Robert to. And if Kirk Cousins can’t get the job done, then there’s another quarterback sitting there,” Mitchell said, via Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post. “Colt McCoy is the next guy out there. I don’t see what the problem would be.
The problem would be that McCoy, who was the Browns’ starter in 2010 and 2011, has done nothing to make anyone think he’s a competent NFL quarterback. Unfortunately, neither has Cousins: Washington has lost four straight games, and Cousins’ three-interception fourth quarter on Sunday doomed any chance the team had of beating the Cardinals. Cousins now has two different three-interception quarters this season; Griffin has never thrown three interceptions in a game.
Benching Cousins for McCoy probably isn’t something Gruden would consider. But Gruden is also probably no longer considering keeping Cousins at the helm once Griffin heals. If nothing else, Cousins has removed any doubt that there shouldn’t be a quarterback controversy in Washington, unless it’s a controversy about whether Cousins or McCoy is next on the depth chart after RG3.