Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins plans to take a more vocal role as a leader entering his second season while starter Robert Griffin III rehabilitates his knee.

Cousins filled in briefly in place of Griffin during their rookie seasons and played well. He helped lead a comeback victory over the Baltimore Ravens in December. Cousins is training in Chicago during the offseason and looking forward to the coming year.

“Now, in terms of my presence in the locker room and that kind of a thing, I’ll probably try to be a little more vocal so that I don’t come across to my teammates as somebody who’s afraid of that role or not comfortable in that role,” Cousins told Rich Campbell of the Washington Times. “It’ll be an interesting balance to have to walk because obviously I don’t want to step on anybody’s toes, but I also need to be ready if called upon.”

In this situation, Cousins knows he’s going to be the top quarterback for the entire offseason program and perhaps into training camp while Griffin works his way back.

“Any time you can have a good idea of what’s coming, it’s going to help,” Cousins said. “But the reality of my situation – and really the reality of the NFL, in general – is you don’t know what’s coming next. You don’t know what’s around the corner. To think that it’s always going to be planned out for you is naive and foolish. I’ve got to be ready to roll with the punches and react to whatever happens. To the degree that I’m able to do that, I’ll be successful.”

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune