ASHBURN, Va. — Robert Griffin III will get to sit out the final preseason game after all.
Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden said Tuesday he will rest his starters Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Gruden had considered playing the first-team offence for a series or two because he didn’t want to end the preseason “on a sour note” after the quarterback’s poor performance Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens.
Now he said he’ll stick to his original plan of playing only the backups, who are vying for roster spots and regular season playing time.
“It’s my intent now after a couple of good days of practice to let the other guys play,” Gruden said. “Let the backups play so we can solidify those roles. I think we have our starters in general. I think we feel pretty good about who they are. Now we need to find the key backups and who they are and make sure they get the ample reps to make the football team and show what they can do on the field.”
Griffin, who is attempting to make the transition to a more traditional pocket-passer under Gruden, finishes the preseason with 13 completions in 20 attempts for 141 yards with no touchdowns, two interceptions, four sacks and two fumbles.
The Redskins have to set their 53-man roster by Saturday at 4 p.m. They trimmed it to 75 on Tuesday cutting receiver Rashad Ross, tight end Matt Veldman and offensive lineman Mike McGlynn.
