The Cleveland Browns find themselves in a bit of a bind at the quarterback position following the season-ending injury to Deshaun Watson. Rookie fifth-round pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson is set to start Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, while veteran P.J. Walker is the backup.
Cleveland is also bringing in veteran Joe Flacco for a workout Friday in an effort to potentially shore up the backup position.
But former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III has a better idea for the Browns at the position: sign him.
Appearing on the latest episode of his podcast RG3 and One, Griffin made his case for the Browns to sign him to the roster, reuniting him with the Browns once again in his career.
“They’ve got two quarterbacks that they can turn to. One is DTR, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, the rookie from UCLA, and the other is PJ Walker. But I’m here to tell you they got a third option, and it’s your boy. The Browns should sign me as their starting quarterback,” Griffin said, according to video via his podcast’s YouTube page, RG3 and One. “And here’s why: One, at 33 years old, I understand the game better than I ever have in my entire career. I know how to slide and I know when to slide, and that was a huge issue in my eight years in the NFL.
“But I’ve learned. I’ve learned from my mistakes and I’m ready to showcase that I can get it done.”
A former No. 2 overall pick by Washington in the 2012 NFL Draft, Griffin came on strong in his first season, winning the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year while leading Washington to the playoffs. But, he suffered a serious knee injury that season after getting hurt during the regular season on a late slide. Against Seattle in the playoffs that year, Griffin tore his ACL and he was largely never the same again.
After that, he flamed out, losing his starting job to Kirk Cousins, then spending a year in Cleveland in 2016 before spending the final three seasons of his career in Baltimore, helping mentor Lamar Jackson.
Now, he wants that opportunity again, especially because he believes he still has the physical tools.
“All they needed him [Watson] to do was manage the game because of them dogs they got over there on defense, starting with Myles Garrett. Well, guess what? I can do that. I can go out there and manage a game for the Cleveland Browns and help them go on the Super Bowl run that they want to go on,” Griffin added regarding why he wants the Browns to sign him. “But here’s the second thing. I still run a 4.3 40 people, and I can throw the football 80 yards. I train every week like an NFL football player, so I can be ready for moments just like this.
“So they need to hit my line.”
Griffin is still in good shape, having run a 4.3 40-yard dash in recent years. He can still throw the football more than 70 yards, too, and has been training weekly, as he stated.
He’s just 33 years old, and though he hasn’t played much football since 2020, he still has the athleticism and the physical traits to play the position in the NFL.
Griffin is fine not being a starter in Cleveland this time around, either. He just wants a shot to be a mentor again, especially for a young quarterback like Thompson-Robinson, using his experience to help the young quarterback get up to speed and develop in the NFL.
And the third thing is for me, if Dorian Thompson-Robinson is gonna be their guy and they don’t bring me in to be the starter, then they should bring me in to be the backup so I can help him in the same ways that I helped Lamar Jackson,” Griffin added, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “I learned six offenses in eight years in the NFL. Nobody wants to talk about it, but learning a new offense has never been a problem for me.
“I can help DTR with his decision-making when to make certain plays, and truly to understand what he has to do as a quarterback with a defense like that on the other side of the football. So Cleveland, I’ve been there before and I don’t feel like I truly got the right amount of time to get it righteous with you. So let’s do it now and let’s go on the Super Bowl run together.”
Griffin certainly makes some good points as to why he wants Cleveland to give him a shot again, especially in light of the Watson injury news. He’s a guy who picks up offenses rather quickly, appears to be still in great shape, and has experience in Cleveland as well.
Chances are, the Browns won’t make the call, especially after bringing in Joe Flacco for a workout Friday, but the offer is on the table from Griffin. The Browns need help at the QB position, so we’ll see what their answers are there.
