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Fantasy football owners looking for as much clarity as possible got about as much as they could hope for in mid-February when head coach Jay Gruden surprisingly acknowledged Robert Griffin III as his No. 1 quarterback.

"Robert ended the season as our starter and we anticipate that going forward," Gruden said at the NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday. "He'll be the No. 1 guy."

The coach added, however, “It’s up to Robert to improve.”

Gruden cited the 2014 game film, which as NFL.com's Chris Wesseling suggests, "apparently looks quite a bit different in the cold light of February than it did in October and November."

Gruden also emphasized that there were things he could do as a head coach to help Griffin make progress, as they’ve hired Matt Cavanaugh as quarterbacks coach after not having one a year ago.

Wesseling went on to suggest the major shift in Gruden's attitude toward Griffin suggests the decision might have come from above.

After all, it appears Griffin is being handed the job after Gruden repeatedly emphasized the value of competition in 2014. According to Wesseling, his new stance might be more indicative of the Redskins' large-scale investment in RGIII than it is the coach's belief Griffin can regain the high-end form he demonstrated as a rookie in 2012.

It might also be a tacit acknowledgment that there are no viable alternatives in-house or on the open market.

Gruden became disillusioned with Kirk Cousins by mid-season and understands impending free agent Colt McCoy lacks size, arm strength and durability.

Whatever the case, as new general manager Scot McCloughan hinted upon his arrival in Washington, Griffin will be under center in Week 1, barring the unexpected curve ball.

For what it's worth, Gruden also downplayed reports of Cousins working out with his brother Jon Gruden in Tampa, saying that had no bearing on anything happening with the team. He said he didn’t know about it, and said players can do whatever they want “on their own nickel.”

Jay Gruden did not seem interested in having Griffin do the same.

"Jon's doors are open for a lot of the quarterbacks he's had through those doors," he said. "Guys, when they go down to Tampa, they might pop in for an hour or two. I don't try and push it on anybody."

Gruden did not say specifically that the team was looking to bring McCoy back, though he did say that he was interested in retaining as many quality pieces from last year as possible.

Along those same lines, NFL.com's Conor Orr notes that Washington could save an awful lot of money by cutting Pierre Garcon, a player that vanished in Gruden's offense last year. But the second-year head coach said that Garcon was absolutely still in the team's plans moving forward.