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Redskins Could be Setting Themselves up for More Drama

There are serious indications that the Washington Redskins might end up selecting Oregon’s Marcus Mariota in the first round of the upcoming draft.

These reports have since made their way around the NFL world in widespread fashion.

They also come on the heels of Redskins head coach Jay Gruden publicly confirming that the team plans to head into offseason workouts with embattled former first-round pick Robert Griffin III as the starter.

Interestingly, new Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan has also stated that the team isn’t sure whether it’s going to pick up the fifth-year option on RGIII. That’s not too surprising considering his recent performance and the fact that the former Heisman Winner’s option is about $16 million for 2016.

That’s a lot of cash for a quarterback that has won five of his last 20 starts.

All this sets in motion the possibility that Washington could very well keep RGIII on the roster while selecting Mariota with the fifth pick in the draft.

If we thought last year’s quarterback controversy between RGIII and a mid-round pick in Kirk Cousins brought a ton of drama to the nation’s capital, just imagine the idea of Washington possessing both Mariota and RGIII heading into training camp this year.

Not exactly a savant with the media, Gruden didn’t necessarily help end the rumors that his team might be targeting Mariota late next month.

The old saying that you don’t have a quarterback when you have three quarterbacks (something akin to that) could be taking hold here. If the Redskins are not committed to RGIII, which it appears they aren’t, the drama will only intensify following the draft. That will be magnified if the team selects Mariota at five.

Back to Gruden for a second here. It’s important that he starts to play his cards close to the vest when it comes to the media. That’s simply something he didn’t do last season in an attempt to show full disclosure. Too often, the second-year head coach found himself unintentionally throwing shots at his players, RGIII in particular.

If the Redskins are embroiled in a quarterback controversy heading into offseason workouts and potentially following the draft next month, Gruden needs to make sure he’s not going out on a limb to cater to the media. That wouldn’t be an ideal scenario for whoever is competing for the job, RGIII and Mariota (potentially) included.

Either way you spin it, nothing in Gruden’s hour-long presser on Wednesday indicated that the team is sold on RGIII as the answer. In addition to this, it seems the likelihood that Washington selects Mariota at five is increasing with each passing week heading into the draft.

That in and of itself is drama waiting to happen.

Photo: USA Today

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