Robert Griffin III

Is Robert Griffin III the Worst Cleveland Browns Quarterback Since 1999?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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After only one game, Robert Griffin III may have established himself as a historically bad Cleveland Browns player.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III failed to impress against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1 of the 2016 National Football League regular season. Griffin completed only 12 of 26 attempts for 190 yards. He failed to register a touchdown. He threw an interception that possibly could’ve been avoided had he used his legs to create a better passing window.

Predictably, Griffin also injured himself late in the contest.

Griffin suffered a broken bone in his left shoulder while running toward the sideline in the waning moments of the contest. He has since been placed on injured reserve, and he won’t be available until Week 10. There is, however, no guarantee he will play two months from now or again this season.

Thus, the time for early evaluations has already arrived.

Several factors will affect if you believe Griffin is, in fact, the worst QB the Browns have had since returning to the NFL in 1999. Griffin, per Spotrac, earned a contract that guaranteed him $6.75 million. That value takes the likes of Doug Pederson, Spergon Wynn, Luke McCown, Charlie Frye (who won four games), Bruce Gradkowski, Thad Lewis, Conor Shaw, Austin Davis and other fill-in QBs out of the discussion. It’s not fair to compare those men to Griffin for multiple reasons.

The Browns could realistically part ways with Griffin next offseason, especially if Griffin either can’t return or if he plays poorly once he is back in the lineup. Cleveland will carry only $1.75 million in dead money if they cut him next March. That’s nothing for a team that already possesses a ton of cap space.

Somebody out there may float out the hot take that Johnny Manziel was a worse overall player than Griffin. That is a matter of opinion. What can’t be debated, though, is that Manziel started and won multiple games during his tenure with the Browns. Griffin cannot make that claim as of Sept. 15, 2016.

We move on.

Josh McCown, statistically speaking, is the best quarterback the Browns have started over the past few seasons. McCown would have posted a solid record last year as a starter had the Browns closed-out multiple opponents in the fourth quarters of games. It’s not a stretch to suggest the Cleveland offense will improve now that McCown has replaced Griffin under center.

Brian Hoyer had a solid half-season while with the Browns. Jason Campbell was never meant to be Cleveland’s long-term answer at the position. Any reasonable person out there would take Colt McCoy over Griffin heading into the second week of the 2016 season. Brady Quinn defeated hated rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers, something Griffin has yet to do since signing with the Browns.

Derek Anderson guided the Cleveland offense during the supposed “season of dreams” of 2007 when the Browns won 10 games, but still fell a victory shy of playing in the postseason. Trent Dilfer won a handful of games while starting for the Browns. Jeff Garcia lasted only one season with the Browns, during which he won a few games. He also posted a 99-yard touchdown play that year.

The majority of knowledgeable Cleveland fans no longer criticize Tim Couch. Couch, who technically wasn’t supposed to play for the expansion Browns back in 1999, was thrown to the wolves far too early into his career. He played behind an offensive line that, no disrespect meant to those players, couldn’t hang when facing NFL defenses.

Couch possibly could have been something had he not signed for the Browns after being drafted. Poor guy.

Kelly Holcomb’s days as the starting quarterback for the Browns were largely disastrous. Remember, though, Holcomb was heroic when playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Cleveland’s only playoff game since returning to the NFL. Holcomb would’ve earned a playoff victory that day had the Browns not collapsed around him.

Griffin is my leader in the clubhouse right now for the worst quarterback in Browns history.

Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson and the team’s front office believed Griffin could resurrect his career with the Browns. They hoped the former Offensive Rookie of the Year learned from mistakes made over the years. Upon seeing Griffin was healthy during workouts and training camp sessions, they trusted Griffin would do well to protect himself during games.

An inability to accomplish that last goal may cost Griffin his job in Cleveland after a single game.

The Browns shouldn’t rush Griffin back to the field. There’s no point. Even if Griffin returns to the lineup in Week 10, he will play no more than seven total games this season. That’s not enough to assess if he can be the team’s franchise quarterback come September 2017. All the Browns know after four quarters of meaningful action is that the team can’t trust Griffin to stay healthy or play well.

Manziel at least gave the Browns two years.

2016 was always likely to be a lost season for the Browns. The team’s roster doesn’t have the horses to compete with the Steelers, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos and other legitimate contenders in the AFC. Jackson and his coaching staff planned to evaluate Griffin up through the fall months to get a read on him. They hoped to determine if he can be a piece to the puzzle before owner Jimmy Haslam becomes tempted to move on to his latest experiment.

Griffin couldn’t give the Browns one entire game.

Due to all of the factors, Griffin comes in as the worst starting quarterback the Browns have featured since 1999. Griffin can change that by recovering and then by finding the form he enjoyed during his first year with the Washington Redskins—assuming the Browns will ever start him again regardless of his health.