Kudos to Cousins, a fourth round pick, for getting a deal signed before the Redskins new wunderkind and first round draft pick, Robert Griffin III. Of course, it’s as standard a rookie deal as they come, valued at just around the $2.6 million range.

Not an exorbitant dollar amount by any means but, then again, no one is expecting Cousins to do much more than be a good understudy and absorb the system over the next few years. I mean, there are guys killing themselves on special teams day-in and day-out across the NFL for a third of what Cousins is pulling down.

People in the corporate world would liken that to getting paid more for doing less and most of us would agree that that wouldn’t suck. Not one bit.

Should we be worried that RGIII hasn’t signed yet? No, no we shouldn’t. The particulars of his deal are far different than Cousins’ in terms of breadth and complexity. You don’t just throw a standard, carbon copy deal down in front of your franchise’s messiah and call it a day. You fine-tune it and make sure that it’s worthy of the importance you placed on him when you mortgaged the figurative farm, horse and buggy to be able to draft him.

With Cousins signed and Griffin III sure to follow suit here shortly, what does this mean for Rex Grossman?

I don’t think you need me to tell you what it means. You already know. Rex Grossman, even on his best day in burgundy and gold, was merely serviceable and, depending on how quickly RGIII can adjust to the NFL, Grossman’s days in DC are drawing to a certain close.

Cousins signing means that the Redskins could be taking their first step towards mirroring Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers/Matt Flynn dynamic. A star quarterback and a capable understudy that may or may not have the ability to lead a team on his own. Can it exist in Washington? Well, yeah, of course it can.

I’m not saying depth exists yet at the quarterback position- it absolutely doesn’t. Grossman is Grossman (sigh), RGIII is infinitely talented and just as unproven and Cousins is a question mark, albeit a very interesting one.

At the very least, it’s another name in the bag and another player we won’t have to worry about for the next few years. Cousins is a fourth rounder and as such, he has no choice but to work hard and be grateful for every rep he gets.

His time on the field may only be measurable in trace amounts when he finally parts ways with the Redskins but in the meantime we can be grateful that RGIII is sharing the practice field with someone who will push him and keep trying to steal some of his limelight, even if it’s only fractions.

Regardless, I’m glad Cousins is on board. There should always be space for someone with a bit of talent and (apparently) a healthy stockpile of character. Now if only another rookie quarterback would hurry up and ink a deal.

We’re ready any time you are, Robert.

May 21, 2012; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) and Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman (8) prepare to snap the ball during organized team activities at Redskins Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE

May 21, 2012; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) and Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman (8) prepare to throw the ball during organized team activities at Redskins Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE

In case you haven’t noticed, the Redskins are in full swing with OTA’s (Organized Team Activities) and that means that Robert Griffin III is getting his first action with the entire roster. In several interviews with players, Griffin III has been described as a humble guy. This is an important trait to obtain for someone with star power such as Griffin and being a rookie at the same time. Griffin has described himself as a very hard worker and it’s already showing with the way he is attacking the quarterback drills in OTA’s. There is footage of the Redskins first two days in action on the Redskins website and it appears as though the new sheriff in town is leading by example. I mentioned in a previous post that the precision and sense of urgency shown by Griffin at his Baylor Pro day would be vital to the progression and focus of the Redskins. In the day 2 of OTA’s video, you can see Griffin and Cousins hustling and going full speed in the drills vs Grossman and Crompton walking and not going through the drills at game speed. Well, maybe that was Grossman’s game speed, which explains a lot of the inconsistencies last year. Because of the sense of urgency from Griffin, he was able to complete two reps before Grossman could complete one. In my opinion, little things like that become contagious to the entire team when they see how hard the leaders work. Little senses of urgency turn into doing things a split second faster as a team and help avoid delay of game penalties amongst other mishaps that can occur during the course of a game. I know it’s still early, but I believe Washington has found the answer to the question,”Who is going to be responsible for turning this franchise around?” The answer is, Mr. Robert Griffin III.

Below are some more pictures taken during the initial stages of the team’s OTA workouts. Enjoy!

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May 21, 2012; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan (right) watches Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) during organized team activities at Redskins Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE

May 21, 2012; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) hands the ball off to Redskins running back Tim Hightower (25) during organized team activities at Redskins Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE

May 21, 2012; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) throws the ball to Redskins wide receiver Darius Hanks (17) during organized team activities at Redskins Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE

Conversely, a lot of people who paid attention to the draft wondered why the Redskins drafted Kirk Cousins after betting the farm on RG3. Especially when they still have Grossman on the roster. (more…)