Even though I have never been a huge fan of Robert Griffin III during his time in Baylor and now at Washington, there is no denying that what has happened to him over the past three years is sad and unfortunate.
He has had his ups and downs, some of them self-inflicted and others inflicted by a coach not willing to stand up to his star quarterback, been treated harshly by the media and struggling to cope with the DC circus. But it is clear he has talent.
How much talent and what can be done with it is not yet clear, but if he can learn to stay healthy – yes, staying healthy is a skill – and finds himself in the right situation I have no doubt that his career can experience a rebirthing.
After being benched by coach Jay Gruden for Colt McCoy prior to last weekend’s match against Indianapolis it is fairly clear that Griffin will be searching for a new home in free agency or be used as a trade chip by Washington.
Griffin’s contract will have one year to run following the completion of this season but it will take up just $6.7 million in dead money if he is to be cut. Assuming his run in Washington is over, it’s time to figure out where RGIII will be heading next.
There are a number of teams looking to fill the quarterback position, such as Houston, St Louis or even the New York Jets, but those sides are poor teams that are seeking a quick fix. Another, possibly better, option for Griffin is to move to a franchise that has an older, wiser and more respected quarterback leading a good team. One such team is the Denver Broncos.
The suggestion of moving to the Broncos is left field but when you look into it, but it makes a fair amount of sense and really for much of what I’m saying could also apply to New England. Denver has the oldest starting quarterback in the league and at 38 we don’t know how many years Peyton Manning has left in him.
If he goes around for one more year Griffin will have the chance to sit behind him, work with John Elway, learn from Manning and get himself 100 per cent healthy, something he probably hasn’t been since his rookie season. This will provide Griffin with time to work on his many imperfections – his footwork, his reads, learning how to avoid big hits, all those things that Gruden highlighted in his scathing assessment of Griffin just over two weeks ago.
On top of this, Griffin would be working with a good team, not the rubbish that Washington has produced over the past couple of years, and he would be able to throw to a strong group of receivers. Instead of being thrust immediately into the spotlight as the saviour, Griffin would be able to learn and improve without any pressure amid a much smaller media presence in the smaller market of Denver.
There is, however, one small hiccup to seeing Griffin in Bronco orange in coming years – Brock Osweiler.
I have written about this before and my stance remains the same, the Broncos have to make a decision soon. Either Osweiler is an Aaron Rodgers type player and will take over from Manning, developed and ready to step into the starting role, or he is a career backup.
This decision is very hard to make, but there are few better judges than John Elway. Obviously, if the Broncos are fixed on Osweiler as Peyton’s replacement is would be stupid to sign Griffin and would just create unnecessary controversy. But if the Broncos haven’t been impressed by Osweiler’s progress over the past few years and have doubts about his abilities as a starter, then Griffin is certainly a legitimate option.
Robert Griffin III’s career is at a crossroads, his time in Washington is drawing to a close and his level of play has regressed since his strong rookie season. He has suffered a number of leg injuries and hasn’t got himself into a rhythm since his rookie season.
It is highly likely that he will be searching for a new home next March and while there will be a number of options, Denver is definitely a fit, if they want him.
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