The Washington Redskins have a problem and it’s a problem that isn’t going away soon. His name is Kirk Cousins and no one not even the team that gets to see him throw everyday knows what he’s worth. Cousins over the last two years has been the Redskins’ full time starter, has won the NFC east once and kept them competitive in his second year. Redskins’ fans who have been deprived of consistent quarterback play for over two decades rejoiced watching Cousins throw touchdowns to Jordan Reed, Desean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, along with other weapons.
His stats (54 touchdowns to 23 interceptions) look like that of a quarterback that should be paid twenty million dollars a year without question. But the question everyone has is it Cousins’s arm that’s worth that much or is it the weapons he’s surrounded by? We might find the answer to that question in 2017.
Kirk's Weapons
Cousins is losing Garcon and Jackson, his top two wide receivers both of whom went over a thousand yards but what he is gaining may make up for it. In a surprising move the Redskins were able to get Terrell Pryor on a one year deal worth eight million dollars. Pryor was the one bright spot on a terrible browns team last year; he went over a thousand yards while the Brown went through five quarterbacks.
But Pryor may be just a big as question mark as Cousins. Originally a QB Pryor didn’t start playing WR full time until he was around age 27 and has only played one full season at the position. No one knows if he can really play WR or if he was the only thing the Browns had to throw to last year. Cousins will still have some of his old weapons in 2017 but can the new ones replace what has left.
If the Redskins are to win this year Kirk Cousins will have to be the reason not the pieces around him.
Two Options
The Redskins only have two real options, one is pay Cousins twenty million a year or draft someone. Maybe they could use Colt McCoy or go with some other veteran but that probably isn’t the way to build a winning team and the Redskins need to win.
Both options have advantages, if they pay Cousins they know what they’re getting a quarterback that can win games but also mistakes. We know Cousins can win some games and the NFC east title but no one knows if he can win beyond that. He's gone to the playoffs once as a starter. In his one playoff start he threw the ball nearly fifty times for two touchdowns but he was also sack six times and lost a fumble. The playoff lose can't all be put on Kirk, DeSean Jackson missed a huge opportunity early for a touchdown and the defense wasn't able to stop Aaron Rodgers. But it is still a game that the Redskins controlled early and Kirk is the Qb who is suppose to lead the team. For as much as the fans have
The playoff lose can't all be put on Kirk, DeSean Jackson missed a huge opportunity early for a touchdown and the defense wasn't able to stop Aaron Rodgers.
But it is still a game that the Redskins controlled early and Kirk is the Qb who is suppose to lead the team. For as much as the fans have see Kirk win games they have also seen him lose games. In a do or die game against the Giants late last season he threw a late INT that killed the chance of the Redskins making the playoffs. Cousins stats have become better every season but he still can't seem to win a game that cements him as one of the best QBs in the game or a QB that deserves a massive payday.
Nate Sudfeld and Colt McCoy are the other two quarterbacks on the roster. Head coach Jay Gruden loves McCoy but Colt hasn't done much in his NFL career to prove he's more than just a backup. Sudfeld was a late round draft pick a year ago but probably is not ready to start a really NFL game or carry a franchise.
That leaves the Redskins with one other option, to pick a quarterback high in the 2017 NFL draft. The 2017 draft is full of quarterbacks that are projected to go in the first round but all of them have major questions. Some of them like Deshaun Watson have started a lot of games at the college level but lack certain skills like accuracy. Others like Mitchell Trubisky have all the physical skills to be an NFL QB but haven't started enough games for anyone to know if they're any good. Unlike the last few drafts we've seen a lot of Qbs are suppose to come off the board in the first round, and they're suppose to be spread out in the first round. As of right now the Redskins have the 17th pick and a lot of players should still be available at that pick including some of the big name QBs.
Dan Snyder the owner of the Washington Redskins isn't afraid to take a risk on a pick and loves a big name player who can make flashy plays and sell tickets. The Redskins could take the risk on one of these guys, let him sit a year behind Kirk, let Kirk walk in 2018, and start whoever they drafted. The benefit to his plan is it frees up lots of money for the future but the risk is no one knows how that draft pick will translate to the NFL. The Redskins don't have a great history of success with QBs they pick in the first round, both Jason Campbell and Robert Griffin III had moments in the NFL but for different reasons never became the savior the Redskins have been looking for for so long. They can take the risk of drafting high again this year or pay a guy twenty million dollars, who may or may not be worth that much. They should stay with Kirk, but in a franchise that loves big names and drama only Dan Snyder holds the check book and no one knows who or what he wants to pay.
