WASHINGTON (The Fan D.C.) -- The Washington Redskins bet on veterans to lead the offense in 2018. They kept just two quarterbacks on the active roster and went without a passer on the practice squad.
Then, in the span of just three weeks, starter Alex Smith and backup Colt McCoy suffered broken legs that ended their seasons.
The Redskins, losers of three straight to fall from first place to third place in the NFC North, are left scrambling with off-the-street QB Mark Sanchez at the helm. The former No. 5 overall pick, in just his 14th day with the team, relieved McCoy on Monday night and finished 13-for-21 for 100 yards and an interception in a 28-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Amazingly, McCoy stayed in the game after breaking his leg on a play in the first half. He completed his next two passes for five and 10 yards, taking the Redskins into field-goal range. Only then was McCoy coaxed out of the game and into the X-ray room, where the season-ending injury was revealed.
Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said the coaches will try to get Sanchez up to speed on a short week before hosting the resurgent New York Giants on Sunday.
The Redskins front office also will add another quarterback to the mix. But the ceiling for this team, having slipped to the fringes of the playoff race at 6-6, is much lower than it used to be. So instead of finding another band-aid to hold back the floodwaters, why not consider a youngster?
There aren't likely to be future Hall of Famers on other teams' practice squads right now. But the Redskins need something to play for down the stretch, and finding out what the NFL ceiling is on Cardale Jones, Connor Cook, Kyle Allen, Danny Etling, Brandon Allen, J.T. Barrett, Alex McGough, Garrett Grayson, Chad Kanoff, Chase Litton, Phillip Walker, Kurt Benkert, Tanner Lee or Jake Rudock sounds better than confirming the same of NFL retreads.
There's also the tantalizing option, a recurring discussion for the past two years whenever there is a quarterback vacancy in the NFL: Colin Kaepernick, who last played with the San Francisco 49ers in 2016.
"You know you're not going anywhere with Mark Sanchez. The season is effectively over," JP Flaim said Tuesday morning on "The Sports Junkies."
"They're not gonna go 4-0 with Mark Sanchez. I would like to see Colin Kaepernick on the field just to see what he has, to see if it would be worthwhile to be a long-term backup to Alex Smith, again."
"What answers do you think you're gonna get in four weeks when he hasn't played in two years?" Jason Bishop asked.
"If you just see some skills," Flaim said. "Like if you see the arm and him moving and making some plays."
"He would be a complete disaster," Bishop said. "You know what? That's not even fair to Colin Kaepernick."
Redskins president Bruce Allen reportedly has previously taken the position that "Kaepernick won't be signed by Washington, ever."
