Unlike last summer, when Robert Griffin III played sparingly in three preseason contests and attempted only 20 passes, the Washington Redskins quarterback is expected to face a heavier workload this time around.
He was named the starter in February, and the Redskins have not wavered from that stance. It helps that Griffin is healthy heading into Thursday's preseason opener Thursday at the Cleveland Browns.
“You tell them `one series' and it's three-and-out -- that's not enough for us,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said Tuesday,
Griffin expressed no preference about playing time in exhibition games.
But a disappointing 2014 season, truncated by a dislocated left ankle and a late-season benching, has left his long-term future with the organization tenuous, at best.
“I'm not worried about how many passes we throw,” Griffin said. “I just want to make sure that we're all on the same page.”
Griffin spoke one day after fans and reporters saw him working through a post-practice passing drill with his father, Robert Griffin Jr.
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In the past, Griffin Jr. expressed public criticism of the way former Redskins coach Mike Shanahan used his son -- and drew attention by showing up in the Redskins' postgame locker room at FedEx Field.
“I know he shies away from a lot of stuff because of what's been said in the past. We can't worry about that,” the younger Griffin said. “I want him to be out here. I want him to enjoy that, as long as the coaches and the organization don't have a problem with him being around me. He is my dad. There's nothing that we're doing that is stepping on anybody's toes.”
Against the Browns, meanwhile, Colt McCoy will be the third-string quarterback.
Kirk Cousins will serve as the primary backup and says he will likely play the second and third quarters. That scenario will flip in Washington's second preseason game, when McCoy -- who appeared in five games last season and started four -- gets to play the middle of the game with the second-teamers.
“Robert is the starter,” McCoy said. “It's been that way since OTAs. (I'm) just coming out here and taking advantage of the reps I do get. I'm very comfortable, being second year in the same system.”
Some key Redskins veterans will not play against the Browns at all.
Receiver DeSean Jackson (sprained right shoulder) and cornerbacks David Amerson (sprained left shoulder) and Bashaud Breeland (sprained right knee ligament) are injured. Outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, who had offseason surgery on his left knee, will not play, either.
