Redskins to start Colt McCoy at quarterback against the Patriots

The Washington Redskins have made a determination as to who their starting signal caller will be in Week 5 against the New England Patriots.

When pressed on the Washington Redskins quarterback situation earlier in the week, Jay Gruden admitted that, at the time, the team did not have a plan at the game’s most important position.

Gruden kicked off the 2019 regular season with Case Keenum as the starter. Keenum was serviceable for a time; he produced, but his production ultimately never led to success, and his game grew more volatile as the team’s offensive situation deteriorated.

Things hit a low point in Week 4 against the New York Giants, when Keenum was benched in the second quarter for rookie signal caller Dwayne Haskins. Haskins would go on to have a rough debut, throwing three interceptions as the Redskins lost 24-3. After the game, Gruden was non-committal with his quarterback situation.

Now that Gruden has had time to see where his quarterbacks are, health-wise, he’s made his decision: Colt McCoy will start in New England. NBC Sports Mid-Atlantic’s J.P. Finlay first reported the news from Gruden’s press conference, and the report was confirmed by several others.

Finlay also reported that Gruden knows who his backup quarterback is going to be for Sunday, but will not that information public at this time. It’s a safe assumption that Gruden is waiting to see how Keenum’s foot issue has progressed. Keenum practiced without a boot on Friday, and it’s likely that if he’s healthy, he’ll be the second quarterback on the depth chart.

This, of course, means that Dwayne Haskins is back to the bottom. It comes as no surprise that Gruden isn’t willing to go through the ups and downs of a rookie season with Haskins; reports came out earlier today that Gruden hadn’t been on board with drafting the Ohio State product, and as long as he’s still the coach, he’ll maintain his allegiances with other quarterbacks.

Gruden has always been fond of McCoy’s fit in his scheme, and on Sunday against the Patriots, he’ll get one last chance to try and glean some production out of the journeyman. McCoy has started six games for the Redskins in his career. In those games, he’s 1-5, and in his time with Washington, he’s thrown for 1,557 yards, eight touchdowns, and six interceptions on 193 attempts.

Last season, McCoy started two games, both losses, and completed 34 of 54 passes for 372 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions, before he ultimately broke his leg against the Eagles. Now, McCoy is on track to hit the field again. And the quarterback carousel continues.