Redskins Name Kirk Cousins Starting Quarterback for 2015

It’s funny how one minor clarification can mean so much.

The Washington Redskins had already announced Kirk Cousins as their starter for their Week 1 showdown with the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 13.

Today, according to multiple media reports, they named Cousins the starter for the entire season, officially ending former first-round draft pick Robert Griffin III’s run as the team’s starter under center, at least for now.

Cousins started the team’s third preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens last Saturday as Griffin sat out in accordance with the NFL’s concussion safety protocol. The third preseason game is often the game in which the starters see the most playing time, and Cousins amassed two touchdowns and an interception in the first half.

Cousins was said to have been named the starter by out-performing Griffin in the preseason. The team did not publicize a competition for the starting job in the media.

The decision to bench Griffin, an Ashburn resident, is the culmination of a saga that spans beyond the brief two-year tenure of head coach Jay Gruden.

The Redskins, whose offices and facilities are based in Ashburn, traded four high draft picks for Griffin’s draft rights in 2012, and that same year he won Rookie of the Year honors and led the Redskins to seven straight wins and their first division title since the 20th century.

However, after suffering a severe knee injury in that year’s playoffs, many questioned the team’s in-game management of the injury, the start of a three-year soap opera surrounding Griffin and the team.

Griffin has battled injury troubles ever since, while the team has changed coaches and general managers due to disagreements over Griffin’s value to the team. Poor media relations and poor play on the field (a 7-25 record since the playoff run in 2012) only brought about more scrutiny, ultimately leading to Monday’s decision to bench Griffin.