Signing Robert Griffin III gives the Cleveland Browns additional options heading into next month's draft but probably shouldn't deter them from selecting a quarterback early.
Head coach Hue Jackson has a reputation as one of the NFL's most creative offensive minds, but he's accustomed to pocket passers – Joe Flacco, Jason Campbell, Carson Palmer and Andy Dalton. RG3 has not proven to be that kind of quarterback and might have little chance to become one in Cleveland, which just let 40% of its starting offensive line go in free agency. And a two-year contract permits Griffin little time to learn the playbook and adapt to a talent-deficient club whose best offensive skill player, receiver Josh Gordon, remains suspended. And RG3's injury history isn't likely to improve if he's once again running for his life.
Bottom line, Griffin is worth the flyer, but the Browns should remain in the market for the franchise quarterback they've sought since Bernie Kosar starred in Cleveland three decades ago.
“If they draft a quarterback, (I'll) take the guy under my wing," Griffin said in a conference call Thursday. "I’m considered a vet now after four years in the league, and I’ve been through a lot more than a lot of guys go through in their entire career. I’ve got a lot of experience. I can help a young guy, but it’s not my focus.
"But if they draft a quarterback, it doesn’t bother me at all. I’m just ready to compete.”
Unless the Tennessee Titans deal out of the draft's No. 1 slot, the Browns will have their choice of the top quarterback prospects, North Dakota State's Carson Wentz and California's Jared Goff, at No. 2. But with RG3 in the fold, they might feel more comfortable trading down in order to accumulate the additional picks they desire while possibly still finding a sweet spot for Wentz or Goff.
Cleveland also owns the top pick of Round 2, 32nd overall. The Browns could take their top-ranked overall player at No. 2, then package their second rounder to move back into the first round in order to pluck Wentz, Goff, Memphis' Paxton Lynch or even Michigan State's Connor Cook. Of course, that gambit has failed previous regimes – Brady Quinn (2007), Brandon Weeden (2012) and Johnny Manziel (2014).
The Browns clearly are not built to win now and probably not in 2017, either. Their best bet is almost surely practicing patience (which has been in short supply under owner Jimmy Haslam) and taking Wentz or Goff second overall, redshirting him and rebuilding the roster with the compensatory picks the club is already stockpiling and unused salary cap space it will doubtless roll into future years. Just maybe they’ll field a competitive team for their young quarterback by 2018.
And if Griffin blossoms? Then that’s one more trade chip in the future.
Follow Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis.
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