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4 burning questions the Redskins must answer before Week 1

By Nathan Britton

LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 16: Washington Redskins Owner Dan Snyder (R) speaks with General Manager Bruce Allen before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FedExField on November 16, 2014 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 16: Washington Redskins Owner Dan Snyder (R) speaks with General Manager Bruce Allen before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FedExField on November 16, 2014 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – NOVEMBER 12: Head coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins leaves the field after the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Washington Redskins 38-30 at FedExField on November 12, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – NOVEMBER 12: Head coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins leaves the field after the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Washington Redskins 38-30 at FedExField on November 12, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Perhaps the question just as big as the Redskins quarterback of the future is the coach he will get.

The Redskins made it known that Jay Gruden will return for a sixth season as Washington’s head coach. This comes after much speculation on whether he would even finish out the season, after a blowout loss to the New York Giants and an uninspiring win over Jacksonville. It would be foolish to bring a new quarterback in as the franchise passer if Gruden is on as thin of ice as many think.

Gruden took over in Washington back in 2014, where he inherited a messy quarterback situation, horrible team culture, and was dubbed the “guru” that would fix Robert Griffin III. After a messy first year, Gruden managed to right the ship, rolling with former forth-round pick Kirk Cousins and leading the team to a 9-7 record, as well as a division title. Washington was bounced in the first round of the playoffs at the hands of Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Since then, Gruden’s records have been 8-7-1 in 2016, followed by back to back 7-9 seasons. His most recent the team got out to a 5-2 start, and it seemed as if the division was theirs for the taking.

In Gruden’s defense, the team has had horrible injury luck the past two seasons, resulting in 40-plus players on injured reserve including his starting and backup quarterbacks Alex Smith and Colt McCoy. However, it’s not as simple as bad luck for Gruden and his Redskins.

Gruden has gone through two defensive coordinators, one of which will be coaching along side former Redskins offensive coordinator Sean McVay in Super Bowl LIII. The current defensive coordinator, Greg Manusky, has been the focal point of criticism from players, and fans. The team had interviewed many defensive coordinator candidates in the past few weeks, all of whom took jobs with other teams. The inability to land a new defensive coordinator stems from the horrible culture, and the uncertainty of Gruden’s job security. Its not often a head coach gets multiple defensive coordinators, and perhaps the fact that the team can’t attract one may speak volumes for the length of Gruden’s leash heading into 2019.

Burgundy Blog had this to say on twitter today regarding a CBS sports article. Snyder was desperate for former Redskin player and most recent Jets head coach Todd Bowles to join the team, that he may have nixed Gruden, if that’s what it would have taken.

This isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement for Gruden, who enters 2019 assumedly on the hot seat. With no definite answer at quarterback, it could be a lame duck year for Gruden, who could see himself relieved of his post midseason. Keep an eye on the coach firing odds entering the season. You shouldn’t have to look to far to find Gruden’s name.

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