ASHBURN, Va. — Kirk Cousins will start the season as Washington’s quarterback, Redskins Coach Jay Gruden said Monday.
Exhibition schedule
THURSDAY’S GAMES
All times Central
New Orleans at Green Bay, 6 p.m.
Baltimore at Atlanta, 6 p.m.
Cincinnati at Indianapolis, 6 p.m.
Philadelphia at N.Y. Jets, 6 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Miami, 6 p.m.
Jacksonville at Washington, 6:30 p.m.
Carolina at Pittsburgh, 6:30 p.m.
Buffalo at Detroit, 6:30 p.m.
NY Giants at New England, 6:30 p.m.
Minnesota at Tennessee, 7 p.m.
Cleveland at Chicago, 7 p.m.
Houston at Dallas, 7 p.m.
Kansas City at St. Louis, 7 p.m.
Arizona at Denver, 8 p.m.
Oakland at Seattle, 9 p.m.
San Diego at San Francisco, 9 p.m.
With Robert Griffin III still in the NFL’s concussion protocol program, Gruden opted for Cousins, who was drafted along with Griffin in 2012 and has started nine games when Griffin has been hurt, going 2-7.
Gruden said, “Kirk’s taken a giant leap so far” in the offseason and training camp.
Gruden also said the team still believes in Griffin, who has been plagued by injuries since being the 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year and leading the Redskins to the NFC East title the same year.
Cousins will sit out the preseason finale Thursday against Jacksonville, with Colt McCoy playing the entire game.
BILLS
Taylor named starting QB
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills are turning their offense over to Tyrod Taylor, who has won the starting job after a three-way quarterback competition.
Bills Coach Rex Ryan announced his decision following practice on Monday. Taylor won the job over former Bills starter and 2013 first-round draft pick EJ Manuel and Matt Cassel, a 10-year journeyman who was acquired in an offseason trade with Minnesota.
The decision comes after all three quarterbacks played with the starting offense in a 43-19 exhibition victory over Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Following the game, Ryan said he intended to spend Sunday meeting with his staff, front-office personnel and owners Terry and Kim Pegula to determine his starter.
Taylor signed a three-year contact with Buffalo in free agency this offseason after spending his first four years as Joe Flacco’s backup in Baltimore.
The Bills also released veteran running back Fred Jackson on Monday. The decision came only as a mild surprise after the team acquired LeSean Mc-Coy in a trade during the offseason. But Jackson’s release was significant nonetheless because of the blue-collar style and perseverance he displayed during his nine seasons in Buffalo. Jackson was undrafted out of Coe College,and was playing in a second-tier arena football league when the Bills signed him to their practice squad in 2006.
Jackson made the active roster the following season and proceeded to win the starting job in 2009, when he had a career-best 1,062 yards rushing, added 371 receiving yards and combined for 4 touchdowns.
JAGUARS
Thomas could miss opener
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Julius Thomas might need surgery on his injured hand and could miss multiple games to start the regular season.
General Manager Dave Caldwell said Monday that Thomas will get a second opinion on his right hand, and if he needs surgery, he would be sidelined another four weeks.
“It’s more or less just cleaning it up and tightening it up,” Caldwell said. “This will assure that the bone will heal completely by the time he’s ready to go.”
Thomas, who signed a five-year, $46 million contract that included $24 million guaranteed in free agency, broke a bone in the back of his hand in the exhibition opener against Pittsburgh. He initially was supposed to be back for the regular-season opener Sept. 13 against Carolina. But now he could miss the first three games, maybe more.
Also, the Jaguars traded longtime kicker Josh Scobee to Pittsburgh for a sixth-round 2016 draft pick.
Scobee was the longest-tenured player on Jacksonville’s roster, having joined the franchise as a fifth-round draft pick in 2004. Scobee, who was in the final year of his contract, has appeared in 168 regular-season games and connected on 235 of 291 field-goal attempts (80.8 percent) and 317 of 322 extra points.
Jacksonville will make rookie Jason Myers its placekicker.
LIONS
Bell, Ngata activated
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The Detroit Lions have activated running back Joique Bell off the physically-unable-to-perform list and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata off the active/non-football injury list.
Bell has missed all of training camp while recovering from knee and Achilles tendon surgeries, while Ngata has been out with a hamstring problem.
The Lions also cut wide receiver Ryan Broyles.
Broyles was the Lions’ second-round pick in 2012 and was never able to gain much traction because of season-ending injuries his first two seasons. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during his senior year at Oklahoma and then tore his right ACL his rookie season.
After recovering from the second ACL injury, Broyles suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon and has never fully recovered.
BUCCANEERS
Winston’s ankle OK
TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston has a sprained ankle that the rookie and team said is not a major concern.
“Pain is temporary. I really don’t focus on that at all,” Winston said Monday. “I played last year at Florida State with a sprained ankle, so that’s the least of my worries. My job is to go out there and play quarterback and fight for the team.” Winston twisted his right ankle during the Bucs’ second exhibition game Aug. 24, but the injury has not kept the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft off the field. Bucs Coach Lovie Smith has been noncommittal about how much, if any, the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner and the rest of Tampa Bay’s regulars might play in Thursday’s night exhibition finale at Miami.
STEELERS
Bryant suspended
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh wide receiver Martavis Bryant has been suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the regular season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. The second-year player’s appeal of the suspension was denied by the NFL on Monday.
Bryant became a key target for Ben Roethlisberger toward the end of the 2014 season, making 26 receptions for 549 yards and 8 touchdowns. He was a fourth-round draft pick out of Clemson last year and was expected to be a strong complement to All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown.
Pittsburgh already was going to be missing All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell for its Sept. 10 opener at New England. Bell also is serving a suspension under the same policy.