National Football League

Redskins' Cousins has sprained foot

Published Aug. 19, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

Mike Garafolo

Just what the Washington Redskins needed — an injury to the guy who's supposed to protect them against Robert Griffin III's injury.

Kirk Cousins, the team's backup quarterback, suffered a sprain to the middle of his right foot in Monday's preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cousins was tackled by Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons as he tried to get out of bounds.

Though X-rays were negative on Cousins, it's not necessarily good news. The middle of the foot includes the dreaded Lisfranc joint, and sprains to the ligaments there can be lingering injuries that sideline a player for months.

The severity of Cousins' sprain is not yet known. He was on crutches after the game and not putting weight on his foot, according to ESPN radio. Tests will surely be conducted on Tuesday to determine how long he's expected to be sidelined.

Griffin has repeatedly said he expects to be ready come Week 1 after tearing his ACL in January's playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The thought was, if Griffin wasn't ready to go, that would be fine because Cousins proved during his rookie season he was more than capable of playing in a pinch.

Cousins replaced Griffin after the No. 2 overall pick was injured against the Baltimore Ravens last season. Cousins threw the game-winning touchdown pass after Griffin left the game. One week later, Cousins threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns in a victory over the Cleveland Browns.

If Cousins is out for an extended period of time and Griffin isn't cleared to play in the opener, the Redskins would have to turn to Rex Grossman to start against the Philadelphia Eagles. Grossman, who has struggled since leading the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl seven years ago, threw a bad interception early in the second half of Monday's preseason game.