After having one of the most successful rookie seasons in NFL history, the once emerging superstar that was Robert Griffin III has crashed to earth. After just two games, it appears that Griffin’s 2014 season is already over. After suffering a dislocated ankle early in the Redskins second week matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Griffin’s career could be in serious jeopardy.
Last year it was clear that he had not fully recovered from his torn ACL, the injury that ended his promising rookie campaign. His ability to run and use his lower half on the deep ball were greatly diminished, and even made him a sitting duck at times. After an offseason with questions about his leadership, it looked like RGIII would be ready to have a breakout 2014. However, early this season, it was clear that Griffin was still not 100%. His speed, burst, and ability to use his legs to drive the ball down the field still paled in comparison to when he was healthy in his first season.. Now with this injury, the Redskins may need to start thinking about a future without RGIII.
After a two touchdown performance while replacing Griffin on Sunday, Kirk Cousins is now poised to solidify himself as the future quarterback for the Redskins. After outperforming Griffin throughout the preseason, Cousins will finally get his shot, and if he can perform at a high level, then the Washington front office will have to make a difficult decision.
It will be a tough decision on what to do at quarterback, especially given the price that the Redskins gave up to pick RGIII in the draft. Let’s not forget the Redskins traded a second round pick along with three first round picks to move up to draft Griffin. If RGIII cannot turn it around, it could be one of the worst trades in NFL history considering the plethora of young talent that St. Louis has acquired with those picks.
So what now? Is Robert Griffin on a path similar to Sam Bradford? A highly talented quarterback whose injuries ultimately ended up ruining a promising career. While Griffin clearly is more talented than Bradford physically, the fact that Griffin cannot stay healthy coupled with the fact that the Redskins have a barren roster with the lack of draft picks over the past three years has made Griffin a serious problem.
Now, do I think it is time for Washington to move on from Griffin? No, but if Cousins can put this franchise in a position to make the playoffs, the clock on RGIII’s career in Washington will begin counting down.