Colin Kaepernick Considered By Redskins But Ruled Out, Coach Explains Why

The Washington Redskins lost their second quarterback to a long-term injury this season when Colt McCoy went down with a broken fibula during their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.

It was only recently that starting quarterback Alex Smith suffered an injury which saw McCoy promoted and Mark Sanchez brought in as a backup. But lightning struck twice as now the latter has taken over the starting role with the Redskins looking for a backup.

In the immediate aftermath of the game on Monday night when it became clear that the Redskins will need a backup signal caller – the first name on most people’s lips was NFL castoff Colin Kaepernick, who has been without a team since March 2017.

The former NFL quarterback has not been signed by any franchise since he opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers last year. Despite most franchises saying it is due to football reasons, it could also be because Kaepernick is the face for NFL stars kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice.

Golden State Warriors star and two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant, who is a longtime Redskins fan, urged the franchise to take a shot at Kaepernick as a potential backup for Sanchez, who is now the starting quarterback.

But the Washington franchise has opted not to go down the Kaepernick route with coach Jay Gruden saying they will likely go in a “different direction” as they will have to make too many changes if they sign the former 49ers quarterback.

"He's been discussed (internally) but I think we will probably go in a different direction,” Gruden said, according to Les Carpenter of the Washington Post.

"Had this been Week 1, maybe he would probably be a greater possibility but since it's week 13 with four games to go, in order to really utilize somebody like Colin Kaepernick's skill set, you're talking about a whole new group of formations and run concepts and all that good stuff," the Redskins coach explained, as quoted on NFL.com. "It's just very difficult."

According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the Redskins are looking at signing Josh Johnson, who was worked out first before they signed Sanchez in November.

They are said to have decided on the top pick of the San Diego Fleet after working out Landry Jones and Ryan Mallett on Tuesday. Johnson has previously worked with Gruden during his time as the offensive assistant and offensive coordinator at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Cincinnati Bengals respectively.

Gruden also revealed that McCoy had undergone surgery successfully on Tuesday, but is unlikely to be included in the injured reserve list for the moment. The team is hoping that he can still play a role this season with the Redskins still in with a shot to make the post-season playoffs.