After hosting Robert Griffin III, the Cleveland Browns are reportedly doing “more extensive homework” on the dual-threat quarterback.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reports the franchise has been making calls to dig deeper into the question of “who is RG3?”
“A source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT that the Browns are making calls to people who know Griffin to find out who may know more about the player and, specifically, his character.”
This report indicates the Browns may be more serious about pursuing Griffin III than the New York Jets, who also hosted the quarterback last week. New York would rather have Ryan Fitzpatrick back in the fold and was trying to put pressure on the Harvard grad by bringing RG3 in for a visit.
Cleveland legitimately has nobody else of note on the roster at this time at the most important position on the field. There is a chance, of course, that the franchise could select one of the top signal callers with the No. 2 overall pick. However, it’s been said by many that this draft class is lacking that “sure thing” quarterback teams are looking for when building an offense.
Griffin III’s tenure in Washington was marred by reports that his offensive linemen disliked him and that other teammates felt the same way. It’s very similar to what we’ve witnessed the past year-plus with Colin Kaepernick in San Francisco, but it’s hard to know if those reports were leaks from someone in the organization with an ax to grind or if there was real truth to the rumors.
On the other end of the spectrum, Jay Gruden had nothing but good things to say upon Griffin III’s departure in Washington. Furthermore, the quarterback made absolutely zero problems for himself or his teammate after being relegated to third string last year.
With all this in mind, the Browns are smart to do some deeper investigating on RG3 to find out what those close to him over the past four years really think about him. If he checks out, then Cleveland would be smart to bring him on board as an alternative to Colin Kaepernick, who would cost a third-round pick.