CLEVELAND: Robert Griffin III is projected to become the starting quarterback of the Browns for the upcoming season, but everyone wants to know who’ll be their quarterback of the future.
Rookie third-round draft pick Cody Kessler is a possibility. Next year’s draft may yield another option.
However, Browns head of football operations Sashi Brown said Griffin shouldn’t be ruled out.
“It could be [Griffin], certainly,” Brown said Saturday during Fan Fest at FirstEnergy Stadium. “But he’s going to have to prove it.”
The Browns signed Griffin to a two-year, $15 million contract in March, indicating they view the 2012 NFL offensive rookie of the year as a bridge starter.
But during a panel discussion at Fan Fest, Brown said “we did feel like Robert could play for a long time for us” when the team decided to sign him.
After speaking in front of fans, Brown met with reporters and was asked whether the team’s expectations for Griffin go beyond being a presumptive bridge starter.
“Our plan would be for Robert, if it carries out, to come in, solidify himself and then, if we felt like he’s our answer longer term, to begin working on a longer-term deal,” he said. “Way premature to be talking about that at this point. He’s got to be able to come in, earn the starting job and then be able to show that he can lead our offense in a manner that’s going to allow us to be successful to compete for this division and ultimately for the Super Bowl.
“That comment [about Griffin being able to play in Cleveland for a long time] was certainly in line with that, but also the fact that he’s just 26 years old and he wants to play for a long time. He provides that upside, if he’s able to come in and do what’s first, which is establish himself as a starter and a capable starter for us.”
Griffin led Washington to the playoffs as a rookie four years ago but injuries, struggles developing as a pocket passer and friction with former teammates and coaches contributed to his dramatic downfall. He spent last season as a third-string player behind Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy without appearing in a regular-season game. Washington cut him in March. The Browns bet on coach Hue Jackson’s belief that the former No. 2 overall pick’s career can be revived.
“He’s a little bit the mirror image of us, where he’s got a chip on his shoulder, there’s a lot of noise about him on the outside, and he’s a tremendous teammate, really passionate about football, wants to learn and get better, wants to be coached hard, wants to be the best he can be,” Brown said. “He’s proven that. He’s done it before, but he knows also that he’s proven he’s got a lot of growth left for him to become the consistent player that we need him to be and he wants to be.
“So with his take on where he was in his career, where he thought he could help us, where we thought he could help us, there was a lot of mesh. And we felt like it was the right time to bring him into the Cleveland Browns’ locker room and pair him with Josh [McCown] and Austin [Davis] and Connor [Shaw] and, of course, now Cody [Kessler], and see if we can find the quarterback of our future.”
Griffin is the favorite to win the starting job, even though McCown played much better last season than his 1-7 record suggests and Jackson is infatuated with Kessler.
But the Browns aren’t ready to back one quarterback by declaring him their starter for 2016.
“There may be a time for that,” Brown said. “We’re not there now, but we always want to be developing quarterbacks here — multiple. Even when we find someone, we want to make sure that we have someone in the backup position when you look around the league and the number of teams whose playoff hopes were ruined because their starter went down or guys fluctuate in terms of their consistency from year to year. When we get a quarterback that’s established himself, we’ll worry about that. Right now, we just need to find the guy. We like the competition.”
Jackson said “it’s too soon” to name a starter. So when does he want to make the call?
“That’s hard to say because I want to feel really good about making that decision,” he replied. “... I don’t have a timeline. Obviously, we’re going to do it way before we play. If we can do it after OTAs [end in early June], great. If it has to be at another time, great. We’ll do it then, too. Whatever’s best for us, that’s what we’ll do.”
McCown completed 63.7 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions last season, but the 36-year-old journeyman has been expendable since the Browns signed Griffin. Perhaps his fate hinges on Kessler’s development. Either way, Brown is at least entertaining the thought of keeping McCown.
“[We want to] have him come in and compete to be our starter,” Brown said. “Josh has been a great presence for our young guys in the locker room, and that QB room is enhanced by his presence. So that’s our plan with Josh.
“I think [keeping him even if he doesn’t win the starting job will] be a consideration. No spot’s guaranteed on our roster. But certainly he brings a lot to the table with his ability as a quarterback on the field, but he’s a great teammate off the field as well.”
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.