Redskins' Keenum to start vs. Bengals, Haskins named backup; McCoy out

What was expected to be a three-way battle for the Washington Redskins' quarterback job is turning into a two-horse race.

Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said Wednesday that veteran pivot Colt McCoy is not healthy enough to play in the team's Week 2 preseason game as he continues to recover from a broken leg suffered in December, as relayed by ESPN's John Keim.

As a result, Case Keenum will start Thursday's contest against the Cincinnati Bengals and rookie Dwayne Haskins will serve as his backup.

"First and foremost, we've got to get that leg healthy, where he's confident on it where he can step into some throws and really push off that leg," Gruden said of McCoy. "Right now, you can see it's just been a little bit of an issue for him. I don't think he's very far away, but I think it's best at this time to hold him out and let him get some treatment."

When McCoy is healthy enough to return, he'll be eased back into the fray with team drills.

Meanwhile, veteran running back Adrian Peterson said earlier this week that he'd give the starting job to McCoy based on experience in the Redskins' offense, according to Kareem Copeland of the Washington Post. However, it appears the 10-year pro isn't ready to be included in the competition.

Copyright (C) 2019 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.