The Cleveland Browns signed Robert Griffin III. The teams that have been linked to him like the Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, New York Jets and possible others should all be breathing in a sigh of relief.
Griffin is trouble. He might not have some special connection to the owner like he had in Washington which made him at some point an unbearable locker room presence, but a-holes and arrogant players fill every locker room and team in the NFL. Griffin is a mess because he’s no longer a good quarterback. His great 2012 came thanks to his ability to run and defenses fearing it. He still hasn’t learned how to slide and avoid hits. Pocket passer? He hasn’t learned in three years, and from what we know about the Browns, they won’t be the team that teaches him and turn him into a quarterback other teams wish they had.
The Cowboys seem to be very interested in drafting a quarterback to be a backup Tony Romo. They have Kellen Moore, but recently they’ve looked at Paxton Lynch a lot. He’s not going to be too high of a pick, but nothing promises anything by taking a first round quarterback. Lynch isn’t going to be thrown to the wolves right away anyhow, but the Cowboys did learn something last season about the need to have some quality at backup QB.
The Broncos right now seem like one huge question mark with Mark Sanchez as their #1 guy. It’s hard to believe he’ll be the one who start in week 1, but who else is out there? Are the Broncos going for a quarterback in the draft, or are we in for some surprises? Colin Kaepernick is still seeking a trade while the New York Jets seem to be the only team that can eventually sign Ryan Fitzpatrick. Things are baffling with Denver, who lost Brock Osweiler before the season ended. They lost him when they decided they’re putting back Peyton Manning on the field for the playoffs.
And yet it’s better without Griffin, who offers drama and certain expectations and pressure from the media to play, even if he doesn’t deserve it. The Jets got burnt with that kind of experience when they had Tim Tebow on the team. Both the Cowboys and the Broncos are better equipped to handle such a situation, but considering how Griffin played the last time he was on the field (2014) and the very little interest the Redskins probably had in working on his flaws the moment they chose Kirk Cousins as their future franchise QB, it’s safe to assume his initial 2016 version is nothing to be excited about. Signing him had more negative outcomes than good ones. Makes sense that the Browns eventually took him, even if he isn’t promised to start and will probably be a caretaker of the position at most.
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