2016 NFL Free Agency: The Case For RGIII, and Why The Cleveland Browns Should Sign Him

With the 2016 NFL Draft a little over a month away, and the need to take a franchise-type quarterback, could the Cleveland Browns be ready to bring in another former Texas-raised Heisman Trophy winning quarterback in Robert Griffin III?

Two weeks after jettisoning former 2014 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback—and monumental bust—in Johnny Manziel, Cleveland appears ready to move forward in signing the former Baylor standout in Griffin III. Make no mistake, Griffin III never looked comfortable down in Washington once current head coach Jay Gruden took over the reins and ultimately benched him in favor of Kirk Cousins.

What is truly sad is that how went from being one of the NFL’s most marketable and rising talents to being out the door faster than a protester at a Donald Trump rally speaks volumes. We already know all the stats in reference to RGIII’s brilliant NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year rookie year back in 2012, his Pro Bowl and his 5-15 record since, what the Browns need to decide is how serious they are and what role will he play in Cleveland.

As I stated on my Facebook earlier, considering the various needs on OL—thanks to the free agency losses of Alex Mack (Falcons) and Mitchell Schwartz(Chiefs), DB—the recent revelation of Joe Haden’s concussion injury, LB—the loss of Karlos Dansby and signing of Demario Moon and WR—the on-going and still not resolved Josh Gordon case for NFL reinstatement, and it MAY not be a bad idea for the Browns to either take the best player available at No.2 or trade down and get more picks in trading left tackle Joe Thomas for either a first this year and a second next year and sign RGIII to a vet minimum 2-year “prove-it” deal.

Honestly, if the Browns are serious in rebuilding (again) from the ground up, then trading the uber-popular fan favorite in Thomas for picks must be done. Sadly, if there is one pet peeve of this writer’s is how attached Cleveland sports fans get to long-in-the-tooth, overrated and mediocre players, look no further than the recently departed Anderson Varejao.

Yes, taking the best player available is usually a luxury for perennial contenders such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots* and the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos do yearly, but with a 3-13 team set to take the field with a new head coach, possible new quarterback in RGIII—if McCown isn’t cut before the season starts—or the likes of Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, Connor Cook, Cardale Jones and Paxton Lynch to sit behind RGIII, then the traditionally-having hard-luck Browns may have stumbled onto some rare good fortune.

Cleveland is in a position of having a proven—yes, I said that—QB such as RGIII in a fresh and different surrounding with a developmental quarterback of the future such as local heroes in Jones and Cook on the bench and take a top-rated talent such as Joey Bosa, Jalen Ramsey, Laremy Tunsil and a player acquired with an additional first or second for the departed Thomas in a hypothetical scenario and the Browns are in business.

It may not sound flashy or make headlines like the ill-fated signing of Johnny Football did back in 2014, but for once it appears that the browns are not trying to outsmart everyone and are actually trying to build from scratch, and of all people RGIII could be the key to it all in allowing the Browns to draft other areas of need.

THAT is the case for why the Browns should sign RGIII. What do you think?