AP

On Tuesday, coach Jay Gruden said that quarterback Robert Griffin III was “very, very, very close” to returning to the Redskins lineup.

Griffin may have added another “very” to that status on Wednesday when he was a full participant in practice for the first time since he dislocated his ankle in Week Two. Gruden said after practice that Griffin still needs to be cleared for game action by doctors, so it’s hardly a sure thing that he’ll be back in the lineup against the Vikings this weekend.

He still split first-team reps with Colt McCoy, however, and that should give Gruden a chance to analyze where Griffin is mentally after missing so much time. Assuming he passes both the physical and mental hurdles left to clear, it’s hard to imagine that Washington won’t turn back to Griffin.

The Redskins won against Dallas on Monday night and they beat the Titans when McCoy replaced Kirk Cousins two weeks ago, but Gruden stated plainly this week that Griffin is the team’s starting quarterback when he’s ready to return to the lineup. That won’t be the most popular decision in some circles, but we’ve already seen this season that things can change quickly at the quarterback position in Washington.