Washington Redskins 2018 season quarterback grades
By Ian Cummings
Colt McCoy
It isn’t hard to root for Colt McCoy. The former Browns draft pick almost saw his career finished by the turnstile of quarterback tumult in Cleveland, and after spending a season with the 49ers as a backup, he found his way to Washington, where he would wait, for four years, for an opportunity like what he had earlier this year.
When Alex Smith went down, in the midst of a possible playoff season, the fans looked to Colt McCoy to finish the job Smith had started. Some saw him as a dark horse candidate to re-invigorate an offense in neutral, as his gunslinger style had been well-documented over the years.
McCoy brought a bit of spark to the Redskins offense, but he also brought the turnovers they’d naturally avoided with Smith at the helm. In his first start, a Thanksgiving game against the Cowboys, McCoy completed 24 of 38 passes for 268 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. In a game that required more offense, McCoy provided such a thing, but at the cost of far less ball security, and the concession of the time of possession battle.
The next week, after completing his first four passes for 50 yards, McCoy was injured, and did not return, relinquishing the game to Mark Sanchez. McCoy would finish the year with three touchdowns and three interceptions. With another opportunity cut short, and a contract that runs through 2020, it’s hard to imagine McCoy doing anything else, other than to wait again.