Jaworski; Is Cousins legit threat to RGme?

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AP Photo/John BazemoreCould Kirk Cousins be in the running for the Redskins' starting job next season?


It's been a chaotic past few weeks in Washington, where we've seen the Redskins devolve from a team with a clear franchise quarterback with high-ceiling potential into a cloud of questions and uncertainty. Now, with Kirk Cousins getting his turn under center to end the season, we're getting a glimpse of another promising quarterback prospect, one who I believe has all the tools to succeed as a starter in the National Football League.

Of course, if you have two starters, you don't have one, and any situation like this should invite questions. I have some of my own. First and foremost, what has Cousins shown us so far? Second, if I were to slot him into my QB Big Board, where would he fall? And finally, if Cousins does string together three big weeks to end 2013, should the Redskins consider an open competition at quarterback to open camp in 2014 rather than trading him as most (including Mike Shanahan) have speculated?

Could Cousins really be a legitimate threat to Robert Griffin III?

I dug into the film on Cousins this week looking for answers. Here's what I saw.

Cousins' capabilities

Let's start with a caveat: We haven't seen much of an NFL sample size from Cousins, so it's too early to evaluate some of the game-management/decision-making areas that you can draw conclusions about only after watching a quarterback on the field for an extended period of time. After Week 15, Cousins has six total appearances to his name and just two starts. That's not a lot to go off, but we can evaluate some of the attributes important to the quarterback position.

It starts with the physical tools. At 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds, Cousins has the size you want from an NFL quarterback. Second, he has the arm strength, and it's reflected in the routes Washington uses when he's out there. In limited use this season, he's already taken nine shots down the field that have traveled more than 20 yards in the air, completing three of them. That arm strength is a key component in any offense that relies on play-action as much as the Redskins do. I also like the trajectory of his deep ball. The plane of the pass can tell you if a quarterback is making the right read on how to deliver the pass downfield. Are you trying to drop the throw into a garbage can or hang laundry on it? All of these signs were encouraging to me.

In terms of the more nuanced aspects of the position -- the aspects evaluators need to see more of to make a final decision on Cousins -- I saw some mixed signals last week against the Falcons. He did a good job moving the defense on play-action throws, but I thought there were times when he appeared too locked in to his first read. It appeared as though he was predetermining where he wanted to go with the ball at the line, and that got him into trouble a few times when the first option was covered.

A good example was the interception he threw on a dig route by Aldrick Robinsonmidway through the third quarter. Not only did Cousins throw the pick due to an inaccurate throw behind the receiver, but he also missed his slot receiver running wide open down the middle for what would have been a big play. That was a double whammy. Maybe Cousins' read pre-snap told him Robinson was sure to be open. But anticipating an open receiver has to be balanced by the ability to adjust when it's not there.

I thought Cousins left a few more plays on the field during the Atlanta game and had a tendency to break down with his mechanics when he felt pass-rush pressure. That's the biggest area he'll need to improve for me. I want a franchise QB to be able to stand tall in the pocket, despite the pressure, deliver the football and take the hit if he has to. When quarterbacks start to play skittish, too many things tend to go wrong. Bad mechanics and bad decisions lead to bad throws, which leads to a long day in the film room for the quarterback the following morning.

The rest of his performance was pretty much what you would expect from a talented prospect who hasn't had many NFL reps. He made some good throws; he made some bad throws. He made some good decisions; he made some bad decisions. However, if I'm the Redskins -- or another team -- I think you came away with a number of positive signs. The areas in which Cousins struggled can be improved upon with experience.

So if we think he can be an NFL starter -- and to be clear, I think he has that ceiling -- where would he slot on my Big Board right now? In other words, which teams with QB issues should be giving the Skins a call this offseason?

Cousins' market

Like I said before, it's going to take more viewings before I can chisel Cousins' name into the board, but I think I would put a sticky note with his name on it right by the bottom-third mark. That would put him right around Mike Glennon territory at No. 23. I think the Bucs are probably pretty happy with what Glennon has shown them, and I doubt they would part with a draft pick to add another QB without much of a track record.

That leaves the Bills, Jaguars, Titans, Rams, Vikings, Jets, Browns, Raiders and Texans as teams that I think Cousins would be even with or represent an upgrade over their Week 13 starters. You can rule out the Bills, who have their guy in EJ Manuel. Likewise, the Rams should be set when Sam Bradford gets healthy again, and they have a ton of draft picks to select another QB if they want to improve their insurance policy by adding an affordable rookie.

The rest of these teams need help, but they'll have options in a draft that should include Teddy Bridgewater, Johnny Manziel, Derek Carr, Blake Bortles and perhaps Brett Hundley. That said, might one of those teams find it more attractive to add Cousins by acquiring him for a second-round pick and spending its first-rounder to address another issue? That scenario is quite possible if the team's evaluators like Cousins as much or more than the options in the draft. That's what teams will be looking for in these remaining two games -- and those teams may include the Redskins.

Cousins and a QB competition

Statistically, Cousins had a pretty decent game against the Falcons. Interceptions aside, he completed 64.4 percent of his throws for 381 yards and three TDs. He chalked up a QBR of 63.4 in the process. I'm a little skeptical he can repeat those numbers every time out, but that's because the Falcons' defense is hardly among the league's best. That said, the defenses he'll face in Weeks 16 and 17 aren't exactly the '85 Bears either.

With remaining games against the Cowboys this week and the Giants to end the season, I think he'll be able to put up some good, if not eye-popping, passing numbers. The better Cousins plays, the higher his stock will rise on the trade market, but it may prompt the Redskins to ask themselves if they should really trade Cousins at all.

Washington has already made a mess of the situation by saying it's resting Griffin to protect him from injury. That decision puts Griffin in a tough spot because the organization is clearly putting him on a pedestal in relation to its other players. One way to correct that stigma might be to have Griffin earn back the starting job next offseason.

In general, I'm against QB competitions. Teams can make more progress in the offseason by having a clear-cut starter and backup. With the roles settled, you can focus on honing other aspects of the offense rather than spending time evaluating every move the quarterbacks make in preseason action. But Washington's situation is tricky, and Griffin -- recovering from injury or not -- did not play well this season. At his best, Griffin has more to give to a team than Cousins, but will Griffin ever again be at his best? If Cousins lights it up through the end of the season, should the Redskins really trade him away?

I'm going to be fascinated to watch this situation play out, but in the meantime, we're getting ahead of ourselves.

RG III still has the clear edge in terms of where he stands with the franchise, and Cousins still needs to prove himself. I'll be keeping a close eye on his film these final two weeks. You can bet we'll revisit this situation again before the offseason starts.