McNabb

ASHBURN, Va. — Donovan McNabb to second-string. Then to third-string. Then no guarantee that he’ll be back next season.

Maybe he’s no John Elway after all.

The ever-dramatic Washington Redskins upset the NFL apple cart once again Friday when coach Mike Shanahan announced Rex Grossman as his starter for the rest of the season, beginning with Sunday’s game at Dallas.

McNabb will be the No. 2 quarterback against the Cowboys, then drop to No. 3 behind Grossman and John Beck for the final two games of the season.

And after that?

“I also told him,” Shanahan said, “that I cannot guarantee him that he will be back next year.”

That’s how far the 34-year-old, six-time Pro Bowl quarterback has fallen. The player acquired with such fanfare in an April trade — the quarterback who would do for Shanahan in Washington what Elway did for him in Denver — is benched in a season in which he has been woefully inconsistent, throwing a career-high 15 interceptions and ranking 25th in the NFL with a 77.1 rating.

McNabb did not comment Friday, saying “No! No! No!” to reporters as he entered Redskins Park after practice. McNabb’s wife abruptly canceled a scheduled interview with The Associated Press in which she planned to promote a charity event involving NFL wives.