After Robert Griffin III was injured during the second week of the 2014 season, Cousins was inserted into the starting lineup with mixed results.

In some games, like his Week 2 performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars (250 yards, two touchdowns) and Week 3 showcase against the Philadelphia Eagles (427 yards, three touchdowns), Cousins looked like one of the sharpest players in the NFL despite the fact he spent most of the first three years of his career on the bench.

But the Michigan State product was also plagued by bad performances and sometimes erratic throws, as he threw just five touchdowns to eight interceptions from Weeks 4-7 before being pulled at halftime of the Redskins' victory over the Tennessee Titans Week 7.

Cousins would not see action again for the rest of the season.

After spending all of the past offseason alternating second- and third-team reps with Colt McCoy, Cousins would be announced as the team's starting quarterback for the 2015 season.

"Well he did it without the luxury of being the No. 1 guy ever in this offense," Gruden said of Cousins' season. "Training camp, OTAs - he's always been second fiddle and hadn't gotten the reps. And then when we announced him the first-team quarterback after the third preseason game was really the first time we really catered the offense to him and he took it and ran with it."

If Cousins does return to the Redskins in 2016, Gruden said he'll certainly benefit from being the starter from Day 1 of offseason workouts.