The Washington Redskins' quarterback drama might only be beginning. The team was hopeful that Robert Griffin III would simply be their starter for the entire season after they opted to pick up his player option for the following season. However, that failed to pan out and now Kirk Cousins is the starter while playing out the final year of his contract. So what does the position group look like in 2016 if Cousins excels at the position?
Cousins notched his first win of the season in Week 2 and is looking to keep momentum going as he prepares to face the New York Giants on Thursday night. The quarterback tossed four interceptions against the Giants last season, but he is looking like a much different quarterback this year after being named the long-term starter in Washington. In the win over the St. Louis Rams, the quarterback went 23 of 27 for 203 yards and touchdown pass. Now Cousins is able to focus on improving and getting more comfortable in the role.
"You're being evaluated every play - I feel like every play has a chance to change your life," Cousins said, via the Augusta Chronicle. "I don't know that I suddenly feel this ease and this peace that comes from coach telling me it's my team. I hadn't really thrown four interceptions in a game before that I could remember. I learned that when you get down and you want to get back in the game, you can't get it all back in one play."
So now the question becomes what do the Redskins do in 2016? It is clear that the more Cousins plays, the more comfortable he is in the starting role. He is thriving in Jay Gruden's offense built more for a pocket-passer like Cousins than a rusher like Griffin. As Cousins plays out the final year of his rookie contract, the Redskins must determine if they are going to re-sign him and how they will go about it considering Griffin's $16 million option is eating into cap space.
Former Redskins general manager and NFL analyst Charley Casserly told the Washington Post, that the team's only option is to give him the franchise tag. It is too early to determine just what Cousins' overall worth is. If he struggles, he is a backup again, but if he excels he gets looks from every team to become their new starter. The franchise tag would give Cousins a one-year salary of $18.5 million. It also buys the team time to determine a long-term contract for the quarterback.
Of course there will be questions of what the team does with Griffin. Alfred Morris is also playing for a new contract next season. The Redskins have a lot of questions to answer moving forward.
