Redskins sign veteran QB Mark Sanchez to back up Colt McCoy

The Redskins acted quickly in the wake of Alex Smith’s season-ending injury, bringing in some quarterback insurance.

If Alex Smith has been one thing over his fourteen-year career, he’s been dependable. From 2013 to 2017, the former No. 1 overall pick only missed four total games. Now, in his first season with the Washington Redskins, he’ll miss the six remaining games in 2018, after suffering a broken tibia and fibula in yesterday’s 23-21 loss to the Houston Texans.

Colt McCoy came into the game after Smith’s injury, and he played well, finishing the outing with six completions on 12 attempts, 54 yards, and a touchdown. His efforts ultimately came up short, however, and the Redskins left with their third home loss of the year.

McCoy will remain the team’s starter, barring any unforeseen circumstances. He’s been in Jay Gruden’s system since 2014, and while he lacks some physical traits, he has a gunslinger mentality that may glean more production from Gruden’s offense, whilst also increasing the propensity for turnovers.

That said, while McCoy is the unquestioned starter, the Redskins haven’t kept a third quarterback this year. They released Kevin Hogan after preseason, and Hogan was promptly signed off of waivers by the Denver Broncos. Thus, the Redskins were forced to bring in outside signal callers today. They came to a decision after workouts, signing veteran Mark Sanchez. Ian Rapoport first broke the news.

Sanchez’s exploits, and blunders, in the NFL are well-documented. The former USC standout was drafted No. 5 overall by the New York Jets in the 2009 NFL Draft. He was the top quarterback there for four years, starting 62 games, throwing for 68 touchdowns and 69 interceptions.

After Sanchez’s stint in New York, he bounced around, serving as the backup for Philadelphia, Dallas, Denver, and Chicago at times. He was never able to latch onto a starting job again, and this season, he went without a job. But now, the Sanchize is back in business.

Sanchez gives the Redskins experience and a semblance of a safety barrier at quarterback, but Washington won’t be winning anything meaningful with Sanchez at the helm. McCoy has spent years working within the scheme. Sanchez will be learning on the fly, with limited reps. The Redskins must be careful with how they handle McCoy. One more injury, and whatever playoff hopes remain would be washed away in little time.