Redskins Position Battles: Colt McCoy vs. Kevin Hogan for backup QB
The case for Kevin Hogan
While McCoy’s case for the backup job is predicated on his performance with the Redskins and his wealth of experience in the NFL, Hogan’s case is based off one of the buzz words that floats around the NFL every offseason. Potential.
Hogan has a skill set that could make him an effective passer at the NFL level. The key word here is could. Hogan has a 6-foot-3 frame, is very intelligent, and has excellent mobility. He’s also six years younger that McCoy. What Hogan lacks is an elite arm, but other quarterbacks have gotten by without that. Provided that he has the accuracy and arm talent to make a variety of different types of throws, he will have a shot at making an NFL team.
Thus far, Hogan’s track record is a bit dubious. He was a fifth-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2016, but he failed to make the team’s 53-man roster, losing the battle for the third string job to Tyler Bray. Following his release, he was signed to the Browns practice squad and was eventually called up to their active roster. He saw minimal action in 2016, but looked more like a project than anything else.
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In 2017, Hogan showed some growth. He continued to run the ball well, and completed 61 percent of his passes for 517 yards, four touchdowns, and five interceptions. They weren’t great numbers by any means, but given that he only had one start and a couple of games of mop-up work, that’s decent. And more importantly, it showed growth from his 2016 performance.
Still, Hogan wasn’t exactly given a vote of confidence after new general manager John Dorsey moved him to the Redskins to move up 17 spots in the draft. That said, the Browns completely overhauled their quarterback room, so Hogan didn’t really have a fit their anymore. So, perhaps he was better off getting moved anyway.
So now, Hogan enters his third year in the NFL and he is with his third different organization. He has the makings of a journeyman, but if somebody can tap into the potential he has, he could become a quality backup. And Kevin O’Connell might be able to do it.
O’Connell, the team’s pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach, was a similar quarterback to Hogan during his brief NFL tenure. Both are mobile and like to move. That said, O’Connell could never showed enough passing talent to have a lasting impact in the league. Hogan is in danger of doing the same.
If O’Connell can get Hogan to become a hyper accurate short and intermediate passer, he could challenge McCoy for the backup spot. And if Hogan makes some strides, at the very least he will be locked into the No. 3 spot on the quarterback depth chart. It’s all about what improvements Hogan can make as a passer.
Hogan hails from a college system that ran a pro-style offense, has worked with Alex Smith in Kansas City, and got his feet wet as an NFL quarterback with the Cleveland Browns. He can’t be counted out from the competition, especially given his youth compared to McCoy. But Hogan will still have a tough time unseating the veteran.