5 Drafts Ago, The Redskins Picked Their Franchise Quarterback....And Kirk Cousins

Can you believe it’s been 5 years since RG3 was drafted to save the Skins? 5 years since the Redskins traded every pick they could muster to the Rams in order to take Robert Griffin III as the 2nd overall pick in the 2012 draft. 5 years have passed since Dan Snyder fell in love and took the QB with the cannon arm and the 4.40 speed, who broke nearly every Baylor QB record possible. RG3 was going to save the Redskins from turmoil and mediocrity. And then he nearly did.

Who can forget that rookie year RG3 had? Defensive coordinators were baffled. He was Mike Vick but with accuracy. He was running an option offense in the NFL like nobody had been able to do. QBs weren’t supposed to be able to out-run linebackers and safeties, but he did.

His ability to extend plays was unmatched

His rookie season he had 3200 passing yards and over 800 rushing. He completed 65.6% of his passes and had a QB rating of 102.4. He won offensive rookie of the year. He led the Skins to the playoffs, as a rookie quarterback.

And then, well, we all know what happened next…..

That picture still pains me to look at. He probably shouldn’t even have been playing to begin with, but watching him try to play on one leg all game had everyone cringing every time he took a step.

And of course, then it got worse. The “All in for Week 1″ campaign. The rumors, the leaks, the overbearing father, it goes on and on. The benching in 2013, the ankle injury and 4-12 Redskins record in 2014, and then of course the great concussion debate of 2015, and eventual de-activation and release.

The 5 year journey since the Skins drafted RG3 has been an absolute roller coaster. Which brings us to the other point of this blog, it has also been 5 years since the Skins took a waiver on another quarterback…

this goofy kid from Michigan State, the 102nd pick in the draft. Kirk Cousins has proven to be the anti-RG3. Cousins is a team-first, extremely coachable, detailed oriented, student of every intricacy of the game. And it has shown. His first two years as a full time starter have been nothing short of magnificent

So now here we are, 5 years later. RG3 is a free agent, hoping to get another shot in the league, and Kirk Cousins…well there is a very real chance he gets traded tonight. And if that happens, we will have come full circle. When I just typed that sentence, it made me realize more than ever how important it is that they sign him long-term, and how much the front office has fucked it all up with the back to back franchise tags. We don’t want to go back to 5 years ago. We don’t want to have another RG3 “savior” situation. The Redskins need to sign Kirk, draft guys to build around, and continue the rebuild Scot McCloughan (RIPIP) started.