Colt McCoy served as the No. 2 quarterback for the Redskins during the 2016 season, and even though he didn't play in a single game he's still confident he can perform if his number is called again.
After re-signing with the Washington Redskins last offseason, quarterback Colt McCoy knew that he'd be backing up incumbent starter Kirk Cousins at the position, just as he did during the 2015 season.
But for the first time in his seven-year career McCoy did not appear on a single offensive snap, as Cousins was present on all 1,063 offensive snaps for the Redskins during the year.
Surely the former Texas Longhorn wanted to take the field, but he looked at the positives from his third season in Washington.
"From my standpoint, I know I didn't see the field this year, but I felt good about where I'm at and worked really hard," McCoy said. "Got to practice hard every day. One of the things I love most about this league is I get to compete three days a week in what I love, even though I don't see the field on Sundays. So I feel good where I'm at as a player, feel good that I can still play, we'll see what happens and look forward to next year."
McCoy added that he still feels like he can contribute to an NFL offense, whether that be through another starting opportunity or as a backup.
"I'll continue to work and continue to prepare, there are always things to improve on," McCoy said. "I got to practice and compete three days every week this year. I love practice. We all want to see the field, but when you're not seeing the field, you have to find ways to improve and I did that this year."
After signing his reported three-year deal last March, McCoy wrote in *The Players' Tribune *the importance of familiarity with the team, something he didn't have previously with either the Cleveland Browns or San Francisco 49ers.
"I'm entering my third season in the same system and that's something I'll never take for granted in this league again," McCoy wrote. "My first five years in the league, I had to learn five different offenses. Each offense is basically its own foreign language — it really takes time to master. But the opportunity to really familiarize myself with Jay's system has given me a comfort level I haven't experienced since I was in college."
Take a look back at the top images of the Washington Redskins' quarterbacks from the 2016 season.
While McCoy is under contract for the 2017 season, the Redskins face uncertainties with some of their top offensive players.
Not only is Cousins set to become an unrestricted free agent after playing out the 2016 season on the franchise tag, 1,000-yard wide receivers Pierre Garçon and DeSean Jackson will also soon see their contracts expire.
During the 2014 season when McCoy started four games for the Redskins, he completed a 70-yard touchdown pass to Garçon against the Tennessee Titans and later launched a 42-yard bomb to Jackson for another score.
"Obviously you don't want to lose anybody; those two guys are very special players," McCoy said. "Those decisions are above my pay grade, so I'll let those decisions be made. I've been around the league long enough to know that every team is going to look different every year. Obviously you don't want to lose your core players like that. …I trust the guys that are making decisions for this team."