Redskins: Jay Gruden refers to Alex Smith as an upgrade at quarterback

There has been some debate about whether or not the Washington Redskins truly upgraded their quarterback situation this offseason. Head coach Jay Gruden certainly thinks they did.

When the Redskins made the initial move to acquire Alex Smith from the Kansas City Chiefs, they were officially ushering in a new era at the quarterback position. Immediately, the days of wondering whether or not Kirk Cousins would stay were gone. While there was some speculation that the team could tag him at the time, that didn’t end up happening, and Cousins went to the Minnesota Vikings as a result.

In the aftermath of the move, there has been split feelings among fans and analysts about the move that the Redskins made. While most acknowledge that Smith and Cousins are close to equal in caliber of play, there are some that believe Smith is an upgrade while others believe he is a slight downgrade. There’s no knowing what the case will be until the season begins, but the speculation has fueled yet another major debate at the quarterback position for the Redskins.

However, Smith has one key believer who thinks that he is definitely an upgrade. That would be head coach Jay Gruden. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Gruden was complementary of Smith and spoke glowingly of him recently.

Asked #Redskins coach Jay Gruden if his team got better at the QB position. Says “without a doubt.” Then explains, not to compare Cousins to Smith, but based on Smith’s credentials, they definitely improved there, which is the goal.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 27, 2018

Of course, Gruden would want to inspire confidence in his new quarterback, so these comments must be taken in context. At the same time, Gruden’s point about Smith’s credentials is a solid one.

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Over the course of the past five years in Kansas City, Smith has posted a 50-26 record, completed 65 percent of his passes, and threw for 102 touchdowns compared to just 33 interceptions. Those numbers are very good, but the most important thing he has on his resume are the wins. Because of his excellent record, that has only been bested by a couple of passers in recent years, the Chiefs made the playoffs in 4-of-5 of Smith’s seasons as a starter. So, if the Redskins are looking to get to the playoffs, they may have a better shot at getting there with the steady, mistake free Smith at the helm.

At the same time, Smith only has a 2-5 career record in the postseason, including a 1-4 mark with the Chiefs. He never could get the team over the hump, so it’s fair to wonder if that could possibly change in Washington. Even when backed by an upper echelon defense, Smith struggled to help the team advance in the postseason. That doesn’t all fall on him, but considering his great regular season record and poor postseason record, it’s something to keep an eye on.

That said, Cousins only made it to the postseason once in three years, so in that category, Smith would be an upgrade. Those are the credentials about which Gruden was speaking. And while Cousins and Smith may be close in terms of talent, that ability to win will be key for Smith in Washington. Also, it’s worth noting that his lack of turnovers will be key to operating an efficient, mistake-free red zone offense which Cousins had trouble with during his time in D.C.

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At the end of the day, this is a strong endorsement of Smith from the head coach, and it points out the fact that at the very least, he should do a great job of seamlessly replacing Cousins. Smith should be a quality starter, and it’s possible he could be an upgrade. It will be interesting to compare his play to Cousins’ play in Minnesota during the 2018 season.

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