Browns Did Not Promise Starting Job To RG3

The Browns haven’t promised Robert Griffin III anything in terms of a starting job, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (video link). Although his two-year, $15MM deal certainly suggests that Griffin will be given a chance to win the starting role, Cleveland will continue with its draft preparations as if it hadn’t brought in an external option at quarterback.Robert Griffin III Browns (vertical)

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As such, Breer reports that there’s a “good chance” that the Browns use the second overall pick on a quarterback, likely Carson Wentz of North Dakota State or Jared Goff of California. Griffin has said that it would not bother him if Cleveland selects a signal-caller at No. 2, and a Browns contingent — Hue Jackson, Pep Hamilton, and vice president of player personnel Andrew Berry — was on hand to watch Wentz’s recent pro day.

The term “analytics” has been tossed around quite a bit since the Browns promoted Sashi Brown and hired Paul DePodesta, but one “Moneyball”-esque approach might be collecting quarterbacks and letting them compete. Instead of drafting Wentz or Goff at No. 2 and pinning the franchise’s hopes on one young player, Cleveland will “take as many shots as they possibly can” at quarterback, per Breer, hoping that its odds of finding a successful QB will improve as more options are added. It’s a method akin to that of Bill Belichick and the Patriots, who constantly trade down in the draft to acquire more capital with the idea that more bites at the apple leads to better odds of a hit.

Griffin, the 2012 offensive rookie of the year, hasn’t been the same since tearing his ACL in the playoffs that season. Although the former Pro Bowl quarterback completed a career-best 68.1% of his passes in 2014, he threw just four touchdown passes compared to six interceptions and fell out of favor with Jay Gruden. Subsequently, RGIII didn’t take a snap in 2015 as Kirk Cousins captured Washington’s starting job and ultimately received the franchise tag.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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