Reliable veteran Alex Smith, who had started all but four games over his previous five seasons in Kansas City, was expected to usher in a new era of stability for the Redskins after he was acquired in a trade, but those plans were dashed when Smith suffered a devastating leg injury against the Texans last month.

When Smith’s replacement, Colt McCoy, fractured his leg in Monday’s loss to the Eagles, the Redskins' quarterback carousel was back in full spin. Mark Sanchez, who was signed the day after Smith went down and took his first snaps since 2016 in relief of McCoy, will start for Washington on Sunday against the Giants.

It’s well known that the Browns are the measuring stick against which the speed of every other team’s quarterback carousel should be judged. Rookie Baker Mayfield is the Browns' 30th starting quarterback since the NFL returned to Cleveland after a three-year absence in 1999. The Bears are a distant second on the list, with 23 starting quarterbacks used during that time.

Sanchez, who has previously started for the Jets and Eagles, will be the Redskins' 18th starting quarterback since 1999, tying Washington with the Buccaneers and 49ers for 10th most in the league in that span. NFL teams have used an average of 15 starting quarterbacks since 1999. The Tom Brady-led Patriots have used the fewest (5), followed by the Giants and Packers (6 each) and Chargers (7). The Cowboys have used an NFC East-most 20 starting quarterbacks over the last 20 years.

Can you name every Redskins quarterback since 1999? Answers below.

Redskins Starting Quarterbacks: 1999-Present (Win-Loss Record)

1999

Brad Johnson (10-6)

Brad Johnson. (Joel Richardson/The Washington Post) (Joel Richardson)

2000

Brad Johnson (7-4)

Jeff George (1-4)

2001

Jeff George (0-2)

Tony Banks (8-6)

Tony Banks. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post) (The Washington Post)

2002

Shane Matthews (3-4)

Patrick Ramsey (2-3)

Danny Wuerffel (2-2)

2003

Patrick Ramsey (4-7)

Tim Hasselbeck (1-4)

2004

Mark Brunell (3-6)

Patrick Ramsey (3-4)

2005

Mark Brunell (9-6)

Patrick Ramsey (1-0)

Patrick Ramsey. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post) (The Washington Post)

2006

Jason Campbell (2-5)

Mark Brunell (3-6)

2007

Jason Campbell (6-7)

Todd Collins (3-0)

2008

Jason Campbell (8-8)

2009

Jason Campbell (4-12)

Jason Campbell. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post) (John McDonnell/The Washington Post)

2010

Donovan McNabb (5-8)

Rex Grossman (1-2)

2011

Rex Grossman (5-8)

John Beck (0-3)

2012

Robert Griffin III (9-6)

Kirk Cousins (1-0)

2013

Robert Griffin III (3-10)

Kirk Cousins (0-3)

2014

Robert Griffin III (2-5)

Kirk Cousins (1-4)

Colt McCoy (1-3)

2015

Kirk Cousins (9-7)

2016

Kirk Cousins (8-7-1)

2017

Kirk Cousins (7-9)

Kirk Cousins. (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post) (Toni Sandys)

2018

Alex Smith (6-4)

Colt McCoy (0-2)

Mark Sanchez (Will start Sunday)

(Jose Soto/The Washington Post) (The Washington Post)

(Source: Pro Football Reference, with an assist from this 2013 Deadspin post.)