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WASHINGTON REDSKINS
Concussions

Jay Gruden names Kirk Cousins the Washington Redskins starter - for the season

Tom Pelissero
USA TODAY Sports
Kirk Cousins has been named the starter for the 2015 season.

Kirk Cousins’ nod as the Washington Redskins’ starting quarterback apparently isn’t just about Robert Griffin III’s concussion.

Redskins coach Jay Gruden announced Monday that Cousins is the Redskins’ quarterback for the 2015 season – not Griffin, the former No. 2 overall pick who has been hampered by injuries and a seemingly endless swirl of controversy since his incredible rookie season three years ago.

"It's Kirk's team," Gruden said.

Griffin won't re-take his post-concussion test until next week, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports earlier Monday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Redskins hadn’t made any announcement.

But Gruden said Cousins, 27, gives the Redskins the best chance to win at this time and it’s his team now as the team continues preparations for its Sept. 13 opener against the Miami Dolphins.

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A fourth-round pick by the Redskins in the same 2012 draft as Griffin, Cousins has completed 59% of his passes for 3,030 yards with 18 touchdowns passes, 19 interceptions and a 77.5 passer rating in 14 games (nine starts) over three NFL seasons.

The Redskins initially said last week Griffin, 25, was cleared after suffering a concussion Aug. 20, only to release a statement Friday from an independent neurologist saying the tests had been reconsidered and Griffin wouldn't be retested for one to two weeks.

Gruden confirmed Monday that Griffin is still going through league concussion protocol and declined to say whether Griffin or Colt McCoy would be the team’s No. 3 quarterback once he’s cleared.

It’s a startling fall for Griffin, who was an instant star in 2012 under former Redskins coach Mike Shanahan before suffering a significant knee injury. He has appeared in 22 games (20 starts) since, throwing for 20 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.

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