SB Nation DC - 2012 NFL Draft: Redskins Sign Quarterback Kirk Cousins To 4-Year Deal

Redskins Offseason 2012: Kirk Cousins Agrees To A 4-Year Deal

2012-05-31T13:09:43Z

The Washington Redskins raised some eyebrows when they drafted former Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft after taking Robert Griffin III with the second overall pick, and they've now made that official.

As Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com and NFL Network reported on Twitter this morning:

According to sources, the Redskins have signed 4th RD pick, QB Kirk Cousins to a 4-year contract worth $2.57 million.
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) May 31, 2012

The Redskins confirmed the signing shortly after Jeremiah's report. Cousins is the all-time leader at Michigan State in completions, passing yards, and touchdowns. He should also be receiving a signing bonus of $472,688.

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2012 NFL Offseason: Redskins Sign Fourth Round Pick Keenan Robinson

2012-05-17T17:21:08Z

The Washington Redskins published a press release on Thursday announcing that they have signed fourth round draft pick, linebacker Keenan Robinson whom they drafted from the Texas Longhorns. According to Aaron Wilson of Fox Sports, Robinson signed a four-year deal.

Redskins fourth-round linebacker Keenan Robinson's four-year deal is worth $2.52 million, including a $420,000 bonus, per a league source.
— Aaron Wilson (@RavensInsider) May 17, 2012

While playing for the Longhorns last season, Robinson recorded 106 total tackles, including 10 tackles for loss and a sack. Robinson also was credited with seven pass break ups, 13 quarterback pressures, two forced fumbles and a safety. Through his career he was twice named to second team all Big 12 and was named defensive MVP of the 2011 Holiday Bowl.

Signing Robinson gives the Redskins more depth at linebacker. It could also give the Redskins help on the special teams side of the ball.

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Robert Griffin III, Baylor Had No Playbook, According To College Teammate

2012-05-12T17:17:19Z

Kendall Wright was the 20th pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, chosen by the Tennessee Titans. Wright was also new Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III's teammate at Baylor, and the wide receiver dropped an interesting nugget during Titans rookie orientation on Friday. Via Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean:

"I think we are the only team that didn't have a playbook," Wright said of Baylor. "It is kind of a different kind of learning deal. We see it visually and we run it, and it just sticks with us when you are out there running it."

Wright, who caught 302 passes for 4,004 yards and 30 touchdowns, did point out that despite not having an actual playbook he had to learn more than 300 plays in the Baylor offense. Receivers looked to the sideline for play calls from the coaches, while RGIII ran the no-huddle offense on the field.

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2012 NFL Offseason: Redskins Sign Sixth Round Picks Alfred Morris And Tom Compton

2012-05-06T17:53:01Z

With the conclusion of Rookie Mini Camp Sunday morning, the Washington Redskins announced the signings of two more draft picks, as running back Alfred Morris and offensive tackle Tom Compton both inked deals.

Morris, a product of Florida Atlantic, was taken with the 173rd overall pick in the draft in the sixth round.

Compton, who was also taken out of the sixth round with the 193rd overall pick, was a highly-regarded prospect ouf of the University of South Dakota. He was named the Great West Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2012 and also played in the 2012 East-West Shrine Game.

Robert Griffin III, Fellow Redskins Complete Rookie Mini Camp

2012-05-06T17:30:09Z

With a brief practice Sunday morning, Robert Griffin III and his fellow rookies completed the 2012 Redskins Rookie Mini Camp. After the practice wrapped up, Griffin met with the media where he offered some insight on his first workouts with the team.

Although Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan said that Griffin is the team's starter "period", RGIII isn't viewing it that way.

"You go from being top dog at your college to bottom of the barrel in the pros even if you are supposed to be the starting QB."

Griffin also spent the mini camp rooming with fellow rookie quarterback Kirk Cousins. The two spent some study time together, and while the selection of Cousins baffled many, Griffin was told that the Redskins were going to take another quarterback if available in the later rounds.

Those who watched Griffin workout over the past three days say his skills are as advertised, including Washington Examiner columnist Rick Snider who was quick to compare him to a Redskins legend.

Griffin will be practicing with the first team during OTA's, which begin May 21.

For more news and analysis on the Washington Redskins, visit Hogs Haven.

NFL Offseason 2012: Redskins Sign Draft Picks Richard Crawford And Jordan Bernstine

2012-05-04T19:52:55Z

The Washington Redskins signed their first two draft picks of their 2012 class by signing seventh-round draft picks cornerback Richard Crawford and safety Jordan Bernstine on Friday.

Crawford played his college football at SMU. He started in 26 of 27 games played while with the Mustangs. During that time, he recorded 106 tackles, posted six interceptions, defended 21 passes and forced two fumbles in his collegiate career.

Bernstine played his college football at Iowa. He made 11 starts, all in his senior year, in the 44 games he played for the Hawkeyes. He finished his college career with 108 tackles, one sack, one interception, three passes defended, and one forced and recovered fumble.

The Redskins do hope that these two players do provide more depth to a secondary that was suspect at times during the 2011 NFL season.

For more on the 2012 NFL Offseason, visit SB Nation D.C.'s Storystream. For a complete list of 2012 NFL Draft results as they happen, visit SBNation.com. For more on the Washington Redskins, check out Hogs Haven.

NFL Draft 2012: Everyone Goes Crazy Over Kirk Cousins

2012-04-30T19:37:13Z

The Redskins' selection of Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins in the 4th round of this weekend's NFL Draft was a surprise to quite a few people, most notably Cousins himself.

Naturally, this was taken as a cue for everyone to jump on Mike Shanahan (yet again) for a controversial quarterback-related decision. Some of those arguments were so exquisitely stupid that they may actually be contagious, like tuberculosis.

Other arguments, like those made by Ben Standig and David Elfin, are at least worth considering. They're after the jump.

Here's what Ben, who has done some writing for us in the past, had to say in part.

You say there is no competition? We all agree on that, now. Of course, nobody thought Heath Shuler, the third overall pick in the 1994 draft, would lose his job to a 7th rounder from the same class.

If he does just that, Mike Shanahan will notice. Then the concern becomes will RG3 notice him noticing.

Nobody let Gus Frerotte in on the plan. Guessing Cousins won't get that memo either. After falling to day three of the draft, he has much to prove.

And over to you, Mr. Elfin.

I admit that I'm a drafting for need instead of taking the best available athlete guy, but this move was ridiculous. A team that is 11-21 under Shanahan's command and 17-39 over its past three and a half seasons can afford to use a fourth-rounder on a player it hopes will never play a down? Are you kidding me? Suddenly the downtrodden Redskins are the perennially powerful Patriots or Packers, making luxury picks?

And finally, there is Mel Kiper.

mel kiper did not like the cousins pick by the #redskins. says it can "divide a locker room."
— John Keim (@john_keim) April 30, 2012

Kiper also said: "If RG3 gets nicked up and Cousins lights it up, what do you do?"my point: issue is there w/just about any backup
— John Keim (@john_keim) April 30, 2012

With respect to all three of these men: the Cousins pick was not a pick for need, it was a pick for depth, as you would expect at a position that is generally considered the most important in the game. If, God forbid, RGIII gets his cleats caught in the turf and rips his knee to shreds on the first snap of his pro career, then guess what? You're back to Rex Grossman unless you have a second, not-John-Beck option waiting in the wings.

And if, in this hypothetical scenario, Cousins does light it up, and if RGIII doesn't want to be a backup, then guess what? He's out. Trade him, release him, whatever, but the only option is for him to go. That's a fact of life in the NFL. The Patriots had no problem doing it to Drew Bledsoe, at the time a proven, big-money veteran, when a hotshot named Tom Brady came on the scene.

Of course, this is all extremely hypothetical. But when it comes to NFL quarterbacks, insurance is never too dear.

NFL Draft 2012: With Pre-Draft Buzz Behind Him, Robert Griffin III's Development Starts Now

2012-04-30T15:38:52Z

LANDOVER, Md. - Even Robert Griffin III himself was in disbelief.

Standing on stage at FedEx Field, the freshly minted Washington Redskins quarterback -- wearing a burgundy tie and a pair of matching socks -- gazed into a sea of nearly twenty thousand fans, all of whom were chanting his initials, "R-G-3". He then looked to his left, where his family was standing, and mouthed three words: Oh my gosh.

Fans traveled to the Redskins' home stadium in Landover, Maryland on Saturday to greet the franchise's newest beacon of hope. The event was the climactic moment in what has been a nearly two-month-long build-up to Griffin's drafting.

Apart from his on-field talents, it doesn't take much to see why the former Heisman winner out of Baylor is already beloved by both Redskins fans and NFL fans around the nation. He's got charisma. He's got endorsement deals. He's in commercials. He interacts with celebrities on Twitter. He wears goofy socks.

So by the time Griffin ran out of the south tunnel at Fed Ex Field Saturday, he'd already gone from cult-hero to something much, much more.

"It's definitely been crazy," he said. "Some call it a whirlwind. A lot of cameras, a lot of people that want to talk to me and ask me questions."

The Redskins have certainly had star players in the past. But it's hard to recall a time when they had someone with as much widespread appeal as Griffin.

And to think, he's yet to take an NFL snap.

But now that the pre-draft buzz has finally come and gone, Griffin can now concentrate on the task at hand. That task? Oh yeah, ending a twenty-year-long vicious cycle of inept quarterback play. As great as his charisma is, that alone won't make Griffin's challenge any less difficult.

"I try not to take the weight of the past 20 years on my own shoulders," he said. "I've definitely seen the struggles the team has gone through, especially when it comes to quarterbacks. They drafted me to try to be the solution to that problem, and I plan on being the solution."

The journey to being the solution to that problem will start in earnest next weekend, when the Redskins will host a three day rookie mini-camp.

How quickly can he learn Mike and Kyle Shanahan's playbook? Will be able to adjust to playing in a pro-style system? Can he earn the trust of the coaching staff and his teammates along the way? How quickly will he develop into a leader? Those will be among the key questions and storylines from this point forward for Griffin, who will spend the next four months working to be named the starting quarterback for the September 9 game against the New Orleans Saints.

"I just hope that [my teammates] know that I'm here to work," he said. "It's not all about show. You can never walk up to a 30-year-old man when you're 22 and tell him what to do. You have to earn his respect, so I just want them to know that I'm here to work and I'm ready to help this team win."

The Redskins believe they've made strides in building a more competitive team around Griffin. And while he certainly can't do it alone, it's no secret that the rest of the 2012 offseason and regular season for Washington will revolve around Griffin's development.

So after the all the unprecedented hype and anticipation, the Redskins are hoping the real fun is about to play out on the football field.

"They're relying on me," Griffin acknowledged. "That's what Dan Snyder told me. They're relying on me, and I like to be relied on because I feel like I can help in any way possible."