The NFL, where anything can happen. At least that is the way Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden looks at things as his team undergoes a bit of a quarterback controversy. The rumors were bound to surface. The headlines had been building since the offseason when Kirk Cousins stressed that he had the talent to start at quarterback and would not mind a trade in order to do so. The injury to Robert Griffin III only escalated things. While many wonder what the future of the position looks like, Gruden is simply stressing that anything can happen.
Right now Cousins has the hot hand. After going 30-for-48 in passing for 417 yards in the 37-34 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the quarterback did more than enough to prove that he can lead the Redskins to some wins in the absence of Griffin. But what happens when the franchise star returns from a dislocated ankle? According to Gruden, anything.
"Crazy things have happened in NFL," Gruden said, via Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. "I'm not going to discount anything."
According to the Washington Post, if the Redskins are winning with Cousins under center upon the return of Griffin, Gruden will stick with the backup simply for momentum and chemistry purposes. Cousins is denying all reports that he is the permanent quarterback of the Redskins, noting that his intentions are to win now and then hand the team back over with a winning record in place and the playoffs in sight for Washington.
"I won't change my statement that this is Robert's team. I still stand by that. He was drafted high for a reason. He's had success here. He's done a lot of good things. He's done nothing to have that be any different," Cousins said, via the Washington Times. "This is his team and it's my job as a backup on this team, hopefully when he comes back, give him a team with a good record and put him in a good spot to have success down the stretch. By no means does that say I can't go in there, as a backup, and hopefully get the job done."
Regardless of what happens with Cousins and Washington in the future, it is certain that the quarterback deserves a chance at being a full-time starter for a team. Come the offseason, he will be in high demand for teams not willing to risk drafting a rookie for the role. Washington denied all trade requests for Cousins this past summer, but that will likely change come 2015. Cousins' stock is high and teams struggling at the position will be looking to acquire his talents.
