Washington Redskins: Kirk Cousins needs more preseason time

Washington Redskins starting quarterback Kirk Cousins needs to start getting his rhythm in the preseason, not Week 1.

Kirk Cousins saw very little action in the Washington Redskins 2017 preseason debut against the Baltimore Ravens. He was pulled early, completing one of his two passes for five yards. The rest of the time went to his backup, Colt McCoy, and later Nate Sudfeld in the third quarter.

Rotating quarterbacks in and out during preseason games is normal. Everyone gets their time on the field to shake off the rust. Coaches get to see what’s being put to work, and what works. However, Kirk Cousins needs to play the preseason more to get his rhythm down before Week 1 of the 2017 NFL Season.

If they want Cousins to be the leader on the field and show that he’s in control of the offense, he needs to be a part of the evaluation process. That means being on the field with the rookies, starters and those being considered for promotion. He needs to see what they can and can’t do, and what they do best.

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In addition, he needs start learning how his receivers respond in an actual scenario rather than depending on training camp to lead the way. Even Cousins realizes that, as Washington Post reporter Liz Clarke noted:

"“It’s a wake-up call…It showed us, as much as we may have been making some plays in training camp in Richmond and feeling good about what we were doing, it’s a realization that we’ve got a long way to go.”"

In the defense of Thursday’s 23-3 loss to the Ravens, Cousins wasn’t the only one needing to shake the rust off. Everyone that was able to play did so, and that’s good. It began the process of removing the jitters from rookies playing professional football for the first time. It also gave fans a chance to see all the role players that will play in the regular season.

Next: NFL Power Rankings 2017: Preseason Week 2

I know these games are mostly meant for those hoping to land a spot on the roster, but Cousins needs the snaps. In fact, most of the starters do.