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Jay Gruden hopeful Redskins QB Colt McCoy will be ready by training camp

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 18: Colt McCoy #12 of the Washington Redskins walks to the sideline in the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at FedExField on November 18, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 18: Colt McCoy #12 of the Washington Redskins walks to the sideline in the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at FedExField on November 18, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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Colt McCoy is still attempting to recover from a broken leg he suffered last season. After a recent surgery, his timetable for return is uncertain.

Last season, Colt McCoy was supposed to finally get his chance to start. After Alex Smith suffered a brutal, season-ending leg injury, the Redskins turned to McCoy as their starting option. He wasn’t able to win on Thanksgiving against the Cowboys, but he did show some encouraging signs as a downfield passer.

Unfortunately, McCoy’s tenure as the starter was short lived. McCoy suffered a leg injury of his own early in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles. He would not return and as a result, the Redskins were forced to go with Mark Sanchez and Josh Johnson at quarterback for the remainder of the season.

Though the Redskins were hopeful that McCoy could return on the off chance that the team made the playoffs, he didn’t progress well as the team tried to bring him along a bit too quickly. As a result, the injury has lingered, and coach Jay Gruden recently confirmed that he “wasn’t sure” when McCoy would come back, per ESPN’s John Keim.

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Keim would later correct himself and point out that McCoy was dealing with a broken leg, not a knee injury, but the point still stands. His timetable for return is uncertain.

The Redskins would probably like to get McCoy on the field by training camp, as they want him to be involved in the quarterback competition. As it stands, Case Keenum, McCoy, and first-round pick Dwayne Haskins all will compete for the starting job. Of the trio, McCoy has the most system familiarity, Haskins has the best upside, and Keenum has the most starting experience. So at the moment, it is anyone’s race to win (though Haskins will likely be the starter by the end of the year at the latest).

If McCoy can’t quite get healthy in time for training camp, the ‘Skins should definitely bring him along slowly and make sure that he is fully healthy before bringing him back. McCoy carries immense value as one of the league’s best backups and could be a great mentor for Haskins. And if he needs to start, he can get the job done there as well. But, he can only be trusted if the team affords him the opportunity to get healthy.

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Moving forward, we’ll keep an eye on McCoy, as he will be a player to watch in the quarterback battle this offseason. Even if he doesn’t end up competing for the starting job, having him around as healthy, experienced depth would be good news for the Redskins, so his health could be crucial to their depth.

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