Washington coach Jay Gruden has a quarterback now, commits to Colt McCoy vs. Patriots
Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden has made his choice.
The Washington Redskins head coach said Friday he’ll start Colt McCoy against the New England Patriots at home in Week 5. It will be McCoy’s first start since Dec. 3, 2018, when he suffered a season-ending broken fibula.
Gruden chooses McCoy over Haskins, Keenum
Gruden was non-committal when asked about quarterback on Wednesday, saying, “We don’t have one right now.” The Patriots are the league’s top-ranked defense, allowing one touchdown over four games.
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McCoy, 33, earned the starting job over rookie Dwayne Haskins and veteran Case Keenum. He has an all-time record of 7-20 with the Cleveland Browns (6-15) and Redskins (1-5).
The coach did not divulge his plan for who will be the backup. He told media he wanted to see how Keenum’s foot is doing after injuring it last week.
Keenum started all four games for Washington (0-4) this season but was pulled last week in favor of the 2019 No. 15 pick. Haskins didn’t fare well, throwing three interceptions on 17 pass attempts, but he’s the face of the franchise’s future and some have argued he deserves a shot now to gain the experience he didn’t get in 14 starts at Ohio State.
Of course Gruden, who is on the hot seat and could be fired soon, reportedly didn’t want Haskins in the mix at all.
The Haskins mess
There are rumors and reports from before the draft that Gruden would rather have taken Daniel Jones, who landed with the New York Giants, over Haskins. Per Les Carpenter at the Washington Post, sources say that’s true and that Haskins is aware of it. Via the Post:
A person with knowledge of Gruden’s thinking has confirmed that the head coach did not want Haskins, and while Haskins has publicly downplayed any suggestion that he wasn’t Gruden’s choice, a person close to the rookie quarterback said that Haskins has sensed that to be the case.
As Yahoo Sports’ Kimberley A. Martin wrote this week, Gruden was strapped with this quarterback conundrum and is in an impossible situation. Haskins needs time to develop, and while fans are clamoring to see him do so, Gruden is coaching to win games. The Washington coaching staff reportedly doesn’t feel the rookie is ready to start and shouldn’t be thrown into the role.
Turning to McCoy, Martin wrote, may not sit well with the bosses. It’s left Gruden in a continuing quarterback controversy, again, in a week he needed it the least.
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