Mike Shanahan believes the Washington Redskins could parlay Kirk Cousins into a first round pick if he performs well during the final three games of the season.

“If he lights it up, hey, maybe we can bring a first-round draft choice back to this organization, and say hey, who are we gonna take in the first round,” Shanahan said. “And I think by him playing and Robert not playing, it gives us a chance to have a few options for our organization that we wouldn’t normally have, and the safety of our quarterback going into the offseason is preserved….And we’re still getting a chance to see a guy that we’ve got a lot of confidence in go out there and play. And his value can only go up. It cannot go down. It can only go up.”

The Redskins don't have their own first round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft with it going to the St. Louis Rams as part of the Robert Griffin III trade.