Browns not ready to hand RG3 the starting job even after trade
Now that the Cleveland Browns have traded the No. 2 pick in next week's NFL Draft to the Philadelphia Eagles, Robert Griffin III probably doesn't have to worry about a rookie winning the starting job. But that doesn't mean the job is his.
Browns VP of football operations Sashi Brown says there still will be a competition at QB -- regardless of whether the team drafts a QB.
#Browns Sashi Brown: "Robert's not even our starting QB. He's got to earn the spot''
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) April 21, 2016
"Listen, we have Connor (Shaw) and Austin (Davis) and Josh (McCown) here competing along with Robert and that's what we want to provide, which is competition at that position," Brown told reporters, according to ESPN. "We won't be panicked. We feel those guys are going to compete their butts off, get into the system and we'll evaluate it as time bears out."
McCown started eight games last season, while Davis started two. Johnny Manziel, released last month, started the other six games.
"It's like every player on our football team. They've got to earn the right to be the starter here for the Browns," head coach Hue Jackson said, according to the Browns' website. "Right now outside of (OL) Joe Thomas, there's not a lot of guys that have a lot of skins on the wall for me. Joe will be the first to tell you he knows he has to be at his best just like everybody else. I'm not in the business of handing anybody anything. I think we're going to have to earn the right to play for us and to be on this roster and to be on this football team at every positon. It's not just quarterback. It's every position on our football team."
Griffin, signed by the Browns after he was released by the Washington Redskins this offseason, is looking to revive his career and avoid the infamous bust label after being drafted No. 2 overall in 2012.
After his career got off to a strong start in 2012, Griffin has battled injuries and inconsistency -- so much so that he didn't play a snap during the 2015 season. In parts of three NFL seasons, RG3 has thrown for 8.097 yards and 40 TDs with 23 interceptions. He has added 1,480 yards and eight TDs on the ground.
