The Washington Redskins are not planning on undergoing a complete overhaul of the roster like some believed they would. By all accounts, 2014 was a failure of a season. After bringing in new head coach Jay Gruden, the Redskins never found a rhythm to be successful. Quarterback issues were the highlight of that as Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy all struggled with the job. However, newly hired general manager Scot McCloughan is not ready to jump ship on all three players just yet.
Most expect the Redskins to release or trade Griffin this offseason as the quarterback is only getting more pricey for the team. Griffin is at the point in his career where the Redskins can either pick up his fifth-year option, sign him to a long-term deal or prepare to cut ties with the quarterback. The Washington Post originally reported that the Redskins were prepared to trade Griffin as announcing that Gruden was returning for his second season. However, with the market for the quarterback weak, McCloughan is not looking to give up one former first-round pick just yet.
"It's a tough question to answer because the one thing he did do was he took the team to the playoffs as a rookie and that's hard to do for any quarterback," McCloughan said, via the Washington Post. "Don't give up too quick on him because you know there's ability there, but now he's got a new coordinator. He's got a new offense he has to learn, and especially with Jay's offense, the West Coast style. I remember with [Mike] Holmgren, it took [Brett] Favre two years to figure out. And I think with Robert, mentally he's ahead of Favre from the standpoint of picking up schemes and what the offense is trying to do."
In multiple mock drafts heading in the 2015 NFL Draft, the Redskins have been linked with Florida State quarterback and former Heisman trophy winner Jameis Winston. That would Gruden his own quarterback to develop instead of attempting to develop Griffin to being his own style. However, McCloughan is favoring building around the quarterback instead of replacing the quarterback himself.
"We're going to take good football players and it's not just about the quarterback," McCloughan said, via CSN Washington. "We're going to take offensive linemen and tight ends, maybe another receiver and running back to surround those guys and help them be successful."
Reading between the lines, that likely means players like DeSean Jackson are not going anywhere. The wide receiver's future had been put into question with the regime coming in, but Jackson is likely there to stay. The jury is still out on players like Niles Paul, Roy Helu and Santana Moss while defensive stars like Brian Orakpo and Brandon Meriweather might not return.
