Captain Kirk in the Capital: Franchise Tag, Episode II

Captain’s Log, Stardate 12281.7. During the latest effort to sign Kirk Cousins for a long-term deal, the quarterback and the Redskins could not come to a resolution that would satisfy both parties. As a result, Cousins has been given the exclusive franchise tag for the team in an effort to prevent him from signing as an unrestricted free agent to a competitor. This situation is a rare one, as this is the first time that a quarterback has been placed on the franchise tag two years in a row.

That’s right, the Redskins put the franchise tag on Cousins once again. Over this past season, it has appeared as though “Captain Kirk” Cousins has been out on a continuing mission to boldly go where few have gone before as a Washington Quarterback: the Super Bowl. In 2015, Cousins did a very good job playing Quarterback, as he went on to break the franchise record for most yards thrown in a season. At the end of the season, the team placed a franchise tag on him in an effort to make him prove himself in the 2016 season, as Cousins had done a somewhat shaky job before that season. In 2016, Cousins came out guns-a-blazin’ and proceeded to break his own franchise record for yards thrown in a season, as he tossed the ball for nearly 5,000 yards. Unfortunately for the team, they barely missed the playoffs as the Packers ran the table at the end of the season and stole their position in the playoffs (Packers kicked the Lions out of the 4 seed in Week 17, giving the Lions the Wild Card spot). Even though the Redskins didn’t make the playoffs, one can’t say that the season was unsuccessful. This team is currently heading in the right direction during a rebuild.

Over last year’s offseason, the defense signed Josh Norman, giving the team a solid foundation to build around. On offense, the team had multiple receivers that were used as key deep threats. Between the likes of DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, and younger receivers like Jamison Crowder and Josh Doctson (injured most of the season), Kirk Cousins has the right weapons at his disposal. This doesn’t even include his tight ends in Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis, who are both decent blockers and receiving threats. The only complaint I even have about the offense is that the team has a small conundrum at the running back position; the three backs the team has (Rob Kelley, Matt Jones, and Chris Thompson) are all decent backs, but every single one of them seems to be built for 3rd downs. Overall, the Redskins are a decent team with a more than solid foundation. With a slew of young pass-catchers and a defense that’s rising up the ranks, this team is built to do well.

Kirk Cousins took 2016 to prove himself, and although the team didn’t make the playoffs, I wouldn’t put the blame on Kirk. At this point, he has found his groove and with his Quarterbacks coach, Matt Cavanaugh, being promoted to Offensive Coordinator, you can be sure that he’s going to have another great year through the air. At the very least, I expect the Redskins to get a wild card spot next season, if not win their division (That’s up in the air, dependent on if the Giants can completely overhaul their running game; I’m counting the Cowboys out, but that’s a topic for another day). Cousins is going to be out to prove himself again this year. If he isn’t signed to a long-term deal at the end of the season, especially if he has another season like his last two, I’ll be shocked. Washington needs to realize the value of the Quarterback position and value of the guy they’re currently starting at that position.

Written by Rick Wronski