Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden has insisted that the franchise believes in quarterback Robert Griffin III.

Griffin had a poor second season in the NFL, with the Redskins benching him in favour of backup Kirk Cousins towards the end of the year.

The 24-year-old has also been a little off-colour in pre-season practice, but Gruden has claimed that this will not have an impact once the regular season gets underway.

"He has the keys to the franchise in his hands," the coach said. "He'll take us a long way. He has to make the right decisions and we're counting on him to do that.

"There's been a lot of good in him the off-season. There's been some bad as most quarterbacks go through in camp. Overall, he's making progress at a good rate. We have to make sure it carries over into games and hopefully by the season opener against Houston, he'll be ready to roll.

"When you watch tape every day and he throws the ball 45 times and 35 are pretty good, there are good decisions and there are a couple we have to correct."

Griffin passed for 3,203 yards and 16 touchdowns last season.