Redskins head coach Jay Gruden implies team still undecided at QB

If the Redskins are leaning toward a specific quarterback in the ongoing battle, head coach Jay Gruden isn’t tipping his hand.

Earlier today, it was reported by NFL insiders that the Washington Redskins were expected to anoint Case Keenum as their starting quarterback for the beginning of the 2019 regular season. Until further notice, that should remain the expectation, as Keenum has far more NFL experience than rookie Dwayne Haskins.

That said, Haskins has more upside, and he can still earn the job if he follows up his previous week of growth with a similar upward trend of development. Week 3 and Week 4 of preseason have yet to play out, although it’s likely that a final decision will be made after Week 3, which is often the dress rehearsal for Jay Gruden’s squad.

As of now, the starter for Thursday’s contest at quarterback has not been revealed, and although insiders provided their information earlier, which they believe to be well-sourced, Jay Gruden isn’t saying anything definite. In a press conference today, shared on the team’s official Twitter feed, Jay Gruden was asked about his comfort level in preseason, and how it’s changed over the years. He gave the following answer:

"I think you get more comfortable, the better people you have surrounding you. I feel really good about the people we’ve surrounded myself with. Coaches, players alike. Obviously, we have a new quarterback. Whoever it is, it’s gonna be a new quarterback, and that’s the key element. Offensive line, we need to get shored up a little bit, but defensively, I feel very confident in what coach Manusky and the players are doing right now… Now it’s just a matter of getting our quarterback ready and comfortable."

Gruden’s statements on the quarterback situation imply that a concrete decision has not been made. That said, Gruden’s statements can co-exist with the reports shared earlier today, as the reports called it an “expectation” that Keenum would start, not a confirmed resolution.

Keenum figures to have the upper hand for now, given his NFL experience. But Gruden’s final statement applies to both signal callers. Both players are new to the Redskins system, and both players are building chemistry with the wide receivers.

As of now, if nothing changes, the Redskins would likely give Keenum the starting job in Week 1. But if Haskins can continue to showcase the on-field growth that was so apparent in Week 2, then perhaps things could change before the start of the regular season.