Will Robert Griffin III play on Monday night? Redskins aren’t sure yet
Robert Griffin III practiced on Wednesday for the Washington Redskins, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to play on Monday night.
Griffin, who dislocated his ankle in Week 2, took some snaps in practice. Redskins coach Jay Gruden said he was hopeful to make a final decision on who will start at quarterback against the Dallas Cowboys after practice on Thursday. It all sounds good for Griffin, but Gruden was cautious.
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Griffin will first need to get cleared by the team doctors for full contact. Then Gruden needs to make sure Griffin feels ready.
“He was probably ready to go four weeks ago, in his mind,” Gruden said after practice on Wednesday, in a news conference streamed on the team’s site.
Then, a big issue: Is Griffin ready to play effectively after more than a month off? Gruden had no answers for that. Gruden said he wants to see if Griffin can see the routes clearly, throw it accurately and on time, and move around in both directions – things that are hard to determine without some more practice time. But so far it sounds promising.
“In the team period he did a nice job,” Gruden said. “All the quarterbacks did. We’re going to take it day by day.”
Gruden wanted to make a decision as fast as possible to give Griffin or Colt McCoy, who will start if Griffin can’t go, enough time to prepare. Part of the decision is seeing how Griffin feels Thursday after practicing on Wednesday.
Dianna Marie Russini of the NBC affiliate said that multiple Redskins sources told her there was “no chance” Griffin would play against Dallas.
Now that the team has effectively given up on Kirk Cousins as its quarterback of the future, benching him for journeyman McCoy after Cousins’ turnover-filled stint as Griffin’s replacement, how Griffin plays the rest of the season is a huge deal for the franchise moving forward. The Redskins invested a lot into Griffin, and after a great rookie season he has taken a step back. Injuries have obviously played a huge factor in his regression. That might be why Gruden is being cautious about Griffin’s return, and stated on Wednesday that he’s willing to sit Griffin another week or two or even after the team’s Week 10 bye if that’s what it takes. The Redskins need Griffin to be healthy and ready to get a clearer picture of if he can be the team’s franchise quarterback.
“I’m in no rush today to make any crazy decision,” Gruden said.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
