Washington Redskins: 15 best quarterbacks of all-time

As you comb through the history books, you’ll find that the Redskins’ quarterback history has had many short-lived, but productive stints from quarterbacks who come and go. The franchise quarterback has proven elusive, but for much of their success in the past, they didn’t need one. The tenure of Jay Schroeder is one example.

Schroder was drafted by the Redskins in the third round of the 1984 NFL Draft. He was intended to be groomed as a long-term backup, but when Joe Theismann suffered a career-ending injury midway through Schroeder’s second season, the UCLA product was forced into the spotlight.

In five games, he led the team to a 4-1 finish and a cumulative record of 10-6. He did enough to earn the starting job for the next year. And that season, he shined.

1986 was a career year for Schroeder, one he ultimately wouldn’t be able to top. He threw for 22 touchdowns and 22 interceptions on 51 percent completion, churning out throwing yards week in and week out.

By season’s end, he’d led the team to a 12-4 record and amassed 4,109 passing yards. It was a franchise record for passing yards in a season, a record that would not be broken until 2015, when Kirk Cousins threw for 4,166.

Schroeder acquired his lone Pro Bowl berth that year, but the success would not last. 10 games into the 1987 season, Schroeder suffered an injury. He was replaced by Doug Williams, who would eventually go on to win the Super Bowl, earning the starting job for the next season.

Schroeder was then traded to the then-Los Angeles Raiders, where he went on to have an under-appreciated career as a starting quarterback. But while he left, his single-season passing yards record stood for almost three decades.