Robert Griffin III Eyes Week 11 Return For Washington Redskins

Jay Gruden says Griffin will return to action by week 11 at the latest

The Washington Redskins have had their ups and downs while star quarterback Robert Griffin III has been sidelined this year with a dislocated ankle that he suffered in the first quarter of Washington’s 41-10 rout of Jacksonville on September 14th.

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Backup Kirk Cousins finished off the Jaguars, but lost four consecutive games after that. He was benched after the first half of last Sunday’s game vs. the Titans.

Third-stringer Colt McCoy came in and led the Redskins to a come-from-behind victory over the Titans to get the Redskins back in the win column. McCoy was an impressive 11-of-12 for 128 yards and a touchdown in the win.

McCoy’s time as a starter looks to be limited, though. Griffin was taking some snaps with the first team in practice earlier this week, though Jay Gruden did say that Griffin has a “long way to go” before being game ready.

Gruden announced Thursday that McCoy will start the Monday night game against the Cowboys in Dallas, with Kirk Cousins being the primary backup.

He also did not rule out the possibility of Griffin returning for week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings, but with a short week of practice leading up to that game, it seems unlikely. Besides, a lot of Griffin’s value lies in his ability to make plays and extend plays with his legs. We saw last year how ineffective Griffin can be with a bum wheel.

If Griffin is indeed the future of the position for Washington, it would be prudent for them to hold out Griffin in week 9 as well. The team is on bye in week 10, which would bring Griffin back fully healthy for week 11 against the Buccaneers.

That said, if Griffin proves that he can play up to his abilities before week nine, and McCoy struggles against Dallas, he could see some game action against the Vikings.

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