The latest injury to Robert Griffin III should tell the Cleveland Browns that they must continue to look for a quarterback.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Robert Griffin III experiment is over.
The Browns won't say that after their quarterback suffered a significant shoulder injury during the 29-10 opening day loss in Philadephia.
But it's just common sense. Griffin is out for at least eight games after being hit near the sidelines in the final moments of Sunday's game. He has a broken bone in his left (non-throwing) shoulder.
While there was some debate about how it happened ... was Griffin trying to avoid contact or not ... that's irrelevant.
The 26-year-old Griffin has a long history of injuries. Those include two major knee surgeries (one in college, one in 2012) and a dislocated ankle (2014).
He has never had a fully healthy season in the NFL -- unless you count 2015 when he didn't take a regular season snap. But even in 2015, he suffered a concussion in the preseason.
By trading the No. 2 pick in the 2016 draft (passing up a chance to take Carson Wentz), the Browns could at least tell their fans and themselves that they were trying to revive the career of Griffin.
In 2012, Griffin was the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Maybe it would work, or maybe not. But it was interesting to see what would happen.
Well, we saw.
Griffin could not stay healthy for a full regular season game.
The best hope for him is to recover and perhaps play a few games for the Browns near the end of the season. Maybe he can establish himself as a backup who can occasionally start.
But any real thought of Griffin being a starter for the Browns in 2017 should end right now.
While he made progress in the preseason, he still had some very shaky moments trying to run a conventional NFL offense. Throw in the durability issues, and it makes no sense to have much faith in Griffin as a starter.
TALKING ROOKIE QUARTERBACKS
Now, there is nothing for Browns fans to watch when it comes to quarterbacks, unless you want to track the progress of Wentz and torture yourself.
As a side note, how do you think Rams fans feel right now?
They had the No. 1 pick in the draft. They also passed on Wentz and selected Jared Goff from California. The Browns also liked Goff.
Goff opened the season as the Rams No. 3 quarterback.
He's behind Case Keenum and Sean Mannion. The average NFL fan probably doesn't know much about either guy.
Goff was 22-of-49 passing in the preseason with two touchdowns, two interceptions and three fumbles. He was having major problems adjusting from the all-shotgun, no-huddle offense at California to the standard NFL offense with the Rams.
Wentz was helped because his North Dakota State team played an NFL-style offense. That's not the case with many college quarterbacks these days because so many coaches are in love with the no-huddle, spread offenses.
The only other rookie quarterback to start the opening week was Dak Prescott for Dallas.
One eye-popping opening game doesn't mean Wentz will be a star. And one game as a third quarterback doesn't mean Goff is bust.
One game for the Browns doesn't mean trading down (and passing on Wentz) will be a disaster. There are lots of picks, lots of players.
Three of those players added in the trades showed promise in the opener -- Carl Nassib, Joe Schobert and Corey Coleman. The Browns also have a 2017 first rounder and second-round picks in 2017 and 2018 from the trade-down deals.
But when it comes to quarterbacks, the Browns are nowhere right now -- unless rookie Cody Kessler comes out of nowhere and surprises everyone late in the season.
WHAT McCOWN CAN DO
Here's a list of injuries:
- Concussion
- Bruised ribs
- Sore shoulder
- Bruised hand
- Broken collarbone
Josh McCown had all those physical problems last season. He started only eight games, playing relatively well -- 12 TD passes, 4 interceptions, 93.3 rating.
But he couldn't stay healthy.
The Browns now need McCown on the field on Sunday. The 37-year-old veteran can bring some order to the offense, helping young players such as Terrelle Pryor, Isaiah Crowell, Duke Johnson, Rashard Higgins and Corey Coleman develop.
To begin to judge a team's young running backs and receivers, there must be at least respectable quarterback play.
McCown can supply that, but he must find a way to avoid all the hits he took a year ago.