The injury bug continues to hound the Washington Redskins and head coach Jay Gruden now has to skim the market for available talent. One name that stands out is Colin Kaepernick although the latest update on it is that the Redskins have opted to pass on the controversial 31-year-old player.
The Redskins have been hounded with a string of bad luck with two of their starters ironically going down on leg injuries. First to go down was Alex Smith. The gruesome injury happened when the 34-year-old had to be stretchered out in the third quarter when Washington faced the Houston Texans on Nov. 18, Complex said. Houston won that game, 23-21.
With Smith out, the inevitable task of quarterbacking fell on Colt McCoy before another freakish accident happened when the Redskins faced the Texans. McCoy suffered a fractured right fibula during the second quarter in the team’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, one that is expected to force him out for the rest of the season, NFL.com reported. McCoy underwent surgery last Tuesday.
Looking ahead, Gruden will be left with no choice but to go with Mark Sanchez. The name of Kaepernick was suggested, something that the 51-year-old coach admitted in a report from ESPN. However, it seems that the idea was taken off the table with Gruden adding that they will be going in a different direction.
Instead, Gruden and the Redskins are likely to look for a backup quarterback who can spell Sanchez. According to the Washington Post, the Redskins have signed a couple of players to reinvigorate their injury-plagued roster. Josh Johnson has been picked up to serve as a backup for Sanchez while Marcus Smith has been also taken in to beef up the defensive end of Washington.
The Redskins have four games left this season and still have the chance to make the playoffs. They currently sport a 6-6 and that chance to advance will fall heavily on Sanchez’ shoulders.
As for Kaepernick, Gruden made it clear that passing on the 31-year-old was purely a football decision. Apparently, he wanted to set the records straight and make sure that there were no political angles tied up to the verdict.
Facing a crucial stretch, Gruden explained that they do not have the luxury of time to employ a new system with someone who may not thrive under his system. Looking ahead, it will be interesting if Sanchez can be the difference maker for the Redskins NFL playoff hopes.
