The Washington Redskins are not cutting Robert Griffin III during roster cut downs to 53 players and a trade remains possible in the future, but for now Kirk Cousins will start for Jay Gruden and RGIII will be one of the backups.
Griffin and his future in Washington remains unclear after the quarterback was benched for Kirk Cousins, but he will remain in DC for now. According to Jeff Darlington at NFL Media, the team "not cutting" Robert Griffin III during roster cut downs over the weekend. Adam Schefter at ESPN reports that "not everyone in the building" for the Redskins is happy about that decision.
Griffin has fallen hard since being a number two overall pick in the draft and he now could be traded or released in the future. Griffin has been inconsistent and has not been able to stay healthy since his great rookie season, which saw him lead the Redskins to the playoffs. Pro Football Talk reports that Griffin will be the main backup for Cousins as long as he is cleared to play.
Both sides are in a tough position, as Griffin had his fifth year option picked up for $16.1 million and that salary is guaranteed for injury. Right now Griffin's future in Washington does not look good and the team could make a move before the season is over. Griffin will not be worth the haul that Washington gave up to get the number two pick in the draft, but the team may try and get as much value for him as they can.
Griffin was roughed up in the preseason game on August 20 and there were conflicting reports after that about whether RG3 had a concussion or not. The news went back and forth and after that, Gruden said that Griffin would still be the starter. Eventually Gruden said that Cousins would be the starter and that Griffin would be a backup for the Redskins.
There has also been some strange back and forth regarding Griffin and the concussion he reportedly suffered in the preseason. The team announced news that an independent neurologist cleared RG3 to play following an initial report about a concussion, but soon soon after that, Griffin was told he could not play. According to the Washington Post, the independent neurologist, Dr. Robert N. Kurtzke has resigned from his position, although he will continue to consult with Griffin until he is "fully cleared."
