Gruden Reveals View Of QB Fitzpatrick 'Fit' With Washington

Will this work?

"Yeah I think so," Gruden said on The TEAM 980 in Washington D.C.'s "Russell & Medhurst" show. "I know Kenny Zampese [Washington Football QB coach] at Cincinnati had him -- he was the QB coach there. He always spoke very highly of him...It's a good fit."

Fitzpatrick was only with the Bengals for a bit over one season. Zampese served as quarterback coach for Gruden, who was the offensive coordinator for three seasons before becoming the head field general in Washington. 

"It's a good security blanket to have,'' Gruden said of Fitzpatrick, entering his 17th NFL season. "You can still let the young guys compete and if they're not quite ready, you got a veteran like Ryan that can lead the show and win you a lot of games. He's proven that. At the end of the day, if one of these young guys emerge as a quality starter, he's going to be a quality backup.''

That's not Fitzpatrick's plan, of course. He's the QB1. But Gruden's point about his accomplishments is inarguable.

Gruden knows a good quarterback from a bad one. He immediately soured on Robert Griffin III, whom he inherited and after a bit of instability, chose to go with Kirk Cousins, who has gone on to be a top-third-of-the-league quarterback for the last six years. 

If Fitzpatrick can stay healthy, which has not been a problem in his career, he should easily beat out Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen for the starting job. 

"He's a great guy to have on your team, a great leader and a good fit,'' Gruden said. "He can win games for you as a starter and still be a positive role (model) for the backup position."