How Dak, Carson & Sam are wrecking it for Kirk Cousins
Kirk Cousins has had two solid games in Washington. But being second in the league in passing yards is also being overshadowed by a lack of efficiency inside the red zone. The red zone criticism is fair, but the amount of blame on him is disproportionate. Toss in the last two games where the Redskins have gone 0-1-1 despite his best play, and Kirk Cousins may seem like the odd man out.
Playing on what is a one year deal, the audition for a long term contract has been hit and miss. However, going back to the summer, a few opined that the reason Scot McCloughan may have been shy in getting a deal done is that: A. They weren’t convinced he could repeat his 2015 success, and B. They maybe could do no worse, cheaper.
Fair or not, the Redskins waiting to do a deal may be aided by another factor; 3 to be exact in Dak Prescott, Carson Wentz, and the renaissance of Sam Bradford. If General Manager Scot McCloughan was hedging on 2016, he may have at the very least, bought some time and options. That said, hoping on lightning striking twice is always a gamble.
AROUND COVER32
Winners and Losers: Carr looks like the real deal, Ingram benched
Power Rankings:: The Cowboys keep cruising, while the Vikings flop
Redskins Tie: Washington settles for a 27-27 tie in London
Cousins Best: Kirk has two great games and goes 0-1-1
News & Notes: A look at Josh Norman and the NFC East
What might be more intriguing is the Sam Bradford scenario. A lot still has to play out in 2016, but Bradford has been an intriguing story this season, as has the Minnesota Vikings. I bring up Bradford in that it might compel the Redskins to believe that Cousins is only an option if something/someone better isn’t available to them. While I’m no fan of the “retread”, hitting on a veteran who better fits a system is often easier than the rookie sweepstakes.
Kirk Cousins should still be option #1 in Washington unless his game and this season collapse, which there are no signs of. But McCloughan kept his options open for a reason, and maybe a good one. Frankly, it also serves Kirk as well. It’s not as if Washington is a last stop for him. He’s parlayed quality play into his own options with other teams if things don’t work with the Redskins.
Heading into the bye week, Kirk Cousins gets to take a deep breath and see where his game is. The Redskins get to do the same. While both may need each other for the rest of this season, the jury will remain out on 2017.
As far as options go, both are probably OK with that.
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