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Daphne quarterback Pat White takes off down the sideline during a high school football game against Vigor on Nov. 28, 2003, in Daphne, Ala. (Press-Register file)

ASHBURN, Virginia -- The Washington Redskins open training camp for the 2013 NFL season on July 25. Maybe then Washington's plan for former Daphne High School star Pat White will become clear. Was White brought in merely as a practice stand-in because of his similarities to injured quarterback Robert Griffin III or does he have a chance to make the team as the No. 3 quarterback or maybe something else?

White went through OTAs and mandatory mini-camp in June with Washington after signing with the Redskins in April. That came after being out of football since being released by the Miami Dolphins after playing one NFL season in 2009.

Quarterback Pat White (5) and Rex Grossman work with Washington Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan during an NFL mini-camp at Redskins Park on June 12, 2013, in Ashburn, Va. (AP Photo)

A dual-threat signal-caller who set an NCAA FBS record for career rushing yards by a quarterback while playing for West Virginia, White always had insisted that his NFL position was quarterback. But with Washington, he seems to have expanded his options.

"Whatever the coaches ask of me, I will do it with the best of my abilities," White said. "My heart's set on being a quarterback, but I am willing to play other positions and will do whatever it takes to help the team."

Griffin had knee surgery on Jan. 9, a reconstruction of his ACL and LCL performed by Dr. James Andrews in Gulf Breeze, Fla. Griffin has said he hopes to return by the start of training camp, but he hasn't been cleared by doctors to practice.

The Washington Post reported Griffin has two checkups with Andrews in July to determine if the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner is ready for the football field.

Other observers don't think Griffin will be ready to play football any sooner than the opening of the regular season, based on his type of surgery. Washington coach Mike Shanahan said he doesn't know when Griffin will be ready to play.

"The big thing is when we go to camp. He'll get a physical and see where he's at," Shanahan told Redskins.com. "When that (return) date is, I don't think anybody knows. The doctors are going to look at him and tell us when he's ready to practice. When he is, we'll see what he can do."

Griffin led the Redskins to the playoffs as a rookie last season - passing for 3,200 yards and rushing for 815 - before being injured in a playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Griffin already had missed one regular-season game, but fellow rookie Kirk Cousins led Washington to a win in that contest.

While Cousins is secure as Griffin's backup, he does not fit the read-option offense that Washington uses with Griffin on the field. White does. That's one reason he signed with the Redskins.

"I feel like the Redskins chose me," White told Redskins.com. "I put myself out there to find the right situation, and I felt like this is the best fit for me. The way they ran the offense really excited me. And I was just happy for them to give me an opportunity.

"There are some other teams that are using (the read-option), and I can also help the Redskins prepare for other teams that run it."

With Cousins and former starter Rex Grossman also on the roster at quarterback, it raises the question: Is White only a practice fill-in for Griffin to keep the read-option offense in tune until the star QB comes back?

For his part, Washington offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has said he wants to see how White fares during the preseason schedule.

"Pat's got a lot of upside," Kyle Shanahan said during the June practices, "and it's always hard when you've been away from the game for a while. But he's working as hard as anyone, and I think he's gotten better each practice."

White, 27, was a second-round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins in 2009 after leading West Virginia to four bowl victories.

White rushed 21 times for 81 yards but didn't complete any of his five passing attempts during his rookie NFL season. The Dolphins released White during the 2010 preseason, and he's been out of football since.

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