NFL
By: Ryan Cooley
Flashback to 2012, the Redskins sold the farm when they swapped spots with the St Louis Rams to move up four picks and obtain the 2nd overall pick in the draft. With that pick, they selected the promising young QB, Robert Griffin III. In his rookie season, it seemed as if RG3 was going to be the new face of the league with him finishing with a passer rating of 102.4, rushing for over 800 yds, and winning Offensive Rookie of the Year. However, the D.C. curse struck yet again when he tore his LCL, ACL, and meniscus in the wildcard game. He never truly recovered from the injury and neither did the Redskins.
Since then, the Redskins still have not found a true franchise QB. Some thought that Kirk Cousins could potentially fill that role, but with him demanding an absurd amount of money, it was smart to look elsewhere especially since he had a losing career record (26-30-1).
Last offseason, they traded away a third-round draft pick and promising young CB Kendall Fuller to the Chiefs in exchange for Alex Smith along with a brand new 4-year $94,000,000 contract with $55 million guaranteed. The trade looked to be a success when the Skins started 6-3 with Smith under center. However, they once again could not escape the grasps of the D.C. curse. In week 11, halfway through the third quarter in a 17-7 game, Smith got sacked and broke his leg. It was a gruesome injury and has already sidelined him for the upcoming season, possibly the rest of his career. Now the Skins face yet another QB dilemma since Smith’s contract is guaranteed for the next two years.
With $23.5 million headed towards Smith’s bank account each of the next two seasons, the Redskins need to look for a new QB that can lead an organization that has longed for sustained success. They recently traded for journeyman QB Case Keenum who has been a back up for the majority of his career. This move left me with question marks due to the fact that they still have Colt McCoy under contract. The Redskins should look to this year’s draft to find their new signal caller. Keenum and McCoy are not capable of leading a team like the Redskins to the playoffs and Smith’s career is still in question so there should be no debate that they need a young QB under a rookie contract.
Many will say this years draft class is weak, but I beg to differ. I believe it is very deep with five QBs (Murray, Haskins, Lock, Jones, and Grier) capable of having success in this league. What this dysfunctional franchise will decide to do on April 25th-27th is anyone guess due to their continuous history of making the wrong decision on draft night. I can only hope they will come to their senses and finally take a QB that is capable of rejuvenating this once great fanbase and organization.
