Report: Robert Griffin III not guaranteed starting job when healthy

It wasn’t long ago that Robert Griffin III appeared on track to being one of the NFL’s next superstar quarterbacks.

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But an injury-riddled season in 2013 followed by a dislocated ankle in Week 2 of the 2014 season on Sunday and Griffin’s future is in serious doubt.

Kirk Cousins is the starting man in Washington right now and head coach Jay Gruden wasn’t willing to rule out Cousins holding onto that job when Griffin returns.

Cousins played great in relief of Griffin on Sunday during Washington’s 41-10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, throwing for 250 yards and two touchdowns on 22 of 33 passing. It’s certainly conceivable that Cousins keeps it up and plays well enough to keep Griffin off the field.

Making matters worse for Griffin’s cause, Mike Wise of the Washington Post reported that coach Jay Gruden favors Cousins over Griffin, regardless of health.

"The dirty little secret in Ashburn is that Coach Jay Gruden actually thought Kirk Cousins was better suited to his offense, that Robert Griffin III wasn’t getting it and there was no way to delicately make a change at any point this season without causing major problems throughout the organization. So the new coach was resigned to doing everything he could to develop Griffin into a pocket passer, though he really feared Griffin might not be the guy to lead the team over the long term."

Griffin’s concerns right now should extend beyond just when he’s healthy enough to play again.