If you were to look at the Washington Redskins latest unofficial depth chart, you would see Colt McCoy listed as the starting quarterback.
Take that with a grain of salt. Coach Jay Gruden said recently that McCoy might not be ready until a few weeks into the season, so penciling him in at QB1 is more likely a way to delay a decision on Dwayne Haskins vs. Case Keenum than it is a realistic possibility.
So what are the possibilities? Gruden is adamant that the team wants to make a decision on who will start at QB later this week, but is there a leader in the clubhouse? Let’s break down where each player currently stands.
Case Keenum
You could argue that Keenum is probably the safest bet to win the starting job, as was expecting coming into training camp. However, he has yet to take a strong-hold on the position with his play on the field. That isn’t to say he has performed poorly in the first two preseason games — a combined 7-for-16 with 112 yards and 1 TD — but there has been a profound lack of ‘wow’ moments that make you feel confident in his ability to lead this team to a playoff birth.
For the most part, Keenum has proven to be who everyone thought he was; a proficient game-manager who will avoid mistakes and allow a talented defense do the heavy lifting. If Washington feels comfortable in their ability to win using that blueprint, expect the Redskins to roll with No. 8 come September.
Dwayne Haskins
He’s listed as QB3 on the depth chart, but there is no doubt that Haskins has proved to be a viable candidate in the quarterback competition so far. Through his first two preseason games, Haskins has definitely kept up the impression that he has the arm-talent to be an elite passer, but his young mental-makeup is still being developed.
Haskins has at times looked young in his first two glimpses of action — a combined 15-for-28 with 231 yards, 1 TD and 2 INTs — and there have been several passes he would probably take back if he could, mainly in the first contest. To his credit, Haskins’ second outing showed marked improvement, but there is still a lot of growing to do before the rookie can be a game-winner for the Redskins. If things continue on the current trajectory, it’s likely that Haskins will sit in the waiting for the start of the season. If Washington decides that he presents them with a better opportunity to win that Keenum or McCoy, he will be rolled out there, but until then, there’s a lot of time on the sidelines that Haskins can benefit from.
Colt McCoy
The constant word at the start of training camp was that McCoy would be back and healthy enough to vie for the starting QB spot. He played in training camp and looked like a legitimate threat for the most part, but his absence in both preseason games thus far has all-but eliminated him from contention.
Gruden said over the weekend that McCoy has not yet been cleared to play after breaking his leg last season, and he is possibly still a few weeks away from taking the field, which is deflating news for the veteran signal caller. With two fresh faces trying to learn the system this year, it was apparent that McCoy had a leg up on the QB room as far as knowledge and experience went, and his talent-levels weren’t too far behind the others as well. In the end, though, McCoy will sit waiting in the wing, as he has for most of his career. If the named-starter eventually struggles, and the coaching staff thinks that a healthy McCoy is more suitable than the other rostered-QB, then he might get a glimpse of the field. More likely, though, No. 12 will spend most of his time as QB3 this season.
