Former Redskins backup quarterback Colt McCoy signs with Giants

Colt McCoy’s time with the Washington Redskins has come to an end. He has signed with the division-rival New York Giants to battle for a backup quarterback spot.

There was no question that the Washington Redskins were going to move on from Colt McCoy this offseason. A favorite of former head coach Jay Gruden, McCoy spent six seasons with the Redskins as a backup quarterback. He most notably led the team to an improbable Monday Night Football victory over the Dallas Cowboys in 2014.

However, that was McCoy’s lone win as a starter in Washington, as he finished his career 1-6 with the team. He never could win the starting job competing with the likes of Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins, Alex Smith, Case Keenum, and Dwayne Haskins over the course of his years with the Redskins. Still, he was a solid backup quarterback and gave the team’s QB room quality depth for years.

Last season, McCoy was expected to challenge for the starting quarterback job and may have been the favorite for Gruden had he not dealt with complications arising from a broken leg the previous season in training camp. That held him out for most of the preseason and early-season games for the team.

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McCoy ended up making one start against the New England Patriots. That was a last-ditch effort for Gruden to try to turn the tide and save his job for at least another week. The plan didn’t work out and while McCoy was accurate during the contest, he couldn’t push the ball downfield enough against a tough Patriots defense to keep the ‘Skins in the game. But in the first half, he did a great job of helping to keep the squad close.

With McCoy hitting free agency, it never seemed like the ‘Skins wanted to keep him around. He’s set to turn 34 on eve of next season, so perhaps the team is looking for a younger quarterback to provide depth behind Haskins. Or maybe Ron Rivera and Co. will want to draft a mid-round option to groom as a quarterback. Or maybe they’ll try to sign one of the young XFL QBs (PJ Walker or Jordan Ta’amu) to compete for that role with the team.

Either way, McCoy was always going to leave the team. But he did find a new home shortly after free agency. And he will be staying in the NFC East.

McCoy is set to join the New York Giants to help replace Eli Manning as the backup. Manning retired this offseason after being surpassed by Daniel Jones as the starter in New York. As a result, the Giants needed some quarterback depth, so they went after McCoy.

McCoy will battle Alex Tanney for the opportunity to serve as Jones’ backup. It’s possible that the Giants could bring in more competition if they see fit, but given that they like Tanney, it’s more likely that they will let McCoy and Tanney fight for the primary backup role moving forward.

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The Redskins should be fine without McCoy. He served his purpose here for six years and gave the team strong quarterback depth during his prime. But at this point in time, a change seems to make sense for both sides. It will be interesting to see who Rivera and Kyle Smith try to bring in as insurance for Alex Smith as he continues to recover from a brutal leg injury.

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