4 NFL teams where Robert Griffin III would be a good fit as backup QB

Robert Griffin III lived up to his potential in his first year in the NFL, but injuries derailed that promising start. Now, five years after winning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, Griffin is on the market and hoping to get a shot as a backup quarterback. All he needs to do is find a team that runs an offense that makes sense for his style of play.

During a recent appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, Griffin’s former offensive coordinator in Washington, Kyle Shanahan, explained why this is necessary.

“You’ve got to make sure you tailor an offense that fits his skill set,” Shanahan said. “I look into all of that and I think one thing that’s tough when a guy’s not your for-sure starter, you need to put in a certain offense to give this guy a chance to be successful.”

That, coupled with concern about Griffin’s ability to stay healthy, is the reason he’s still on the market. For teams that run an offense around a traditional pocket passer, it doesn’t make much sense to carry a backup whose style of play is vastly different from the starting quarterback.

There aren’t many teams in the NFL working with dual-threat starters. But there are a few teams with mobile quarterbacks that could take a chance on Griffin as a backup.

In a recent interview with ESPN, Pete Carroll said the Seahawks are considering bringing in a veteran like Colin Kaepernick or Griffin to back up Russell Wilson. Either player would have an easy time assimilating into the offense Seattle runs around Wilson. When Wilson is healthy enough to be effective, the Seahawks offense relies on zone reads and play-action, and Kaepernick and Griffin are both mobile enough to make that work.

Seattle needs a reliable backup. Currently, that role belongs to Trevone Boykin. The second-year quarterback did a decent job filling in for Wilson last season on a limited basis, but he’s also facing charges stemming from an arrest for public intoxication and possession of marijuana.

Kaepernick visited the Seahawks last week. He would be welcomed into a locker room with plenty of players who have shown support for his stand against oppression. But Kaepernick left Seattle without a contract, and Pat Kirwan, who is a friend of Pete Carroll’s, doesn’t think the Seahawks will sign him. If Kaepernick doesn’t sign with the Seahawks, Griffin would be a good, and less expensive, addition.

Cam Newton doesn’t just have a strong arm. He also holds the NFL record for the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback just six years into his career. His versatility is a strength, but it can also lead to concerns about Newton getting hurt. It’s unlikely that the Panthers would consider Griffin unless there is an injury to Newton or one of the other quarterbacks on the roster. But Griffin is better-suited for the read-option plays in Carolina’s offense, and at 27, he’s younger than every quarterback on the roster except practice squad journeyman Garrett Gilbert.

The Panthers already have dual-threat quarterback Joe Webb, who is primarily a special teamer now. The 30-year-old hasn’t played quarterback in a game for the Panthers and hasn’t thrown a pass since the 2011 season. The team’s primary backup is still Derek Anderson, who is 33 years old and has 239 career rushing yards. The Panthers let Anderson run the read-option once in practice while Newton was sidelined with a concussion, according to ESPN’s David Newton, and it didn’t go well.

Neither did the game Anderson started for Newton. Anderson turned the ball over three times and finished with a quarterback rating of 12.1. The Panthers lost to the Buccaneers 17-14.

Newton has mostly stayed healthy, but he takes a lot of hits. Carolina’s offensive line struggled last season, and despite some upgrades this offseason, would still be a concern considering Griffin’s injury history.

Tyrod Taylor said that he plans to “take it to the next level” in 2017. But new general manager Brandon Beane didn’t sound so certain. He said it will be an open competition at quarterback.

New offensive coordinator Rick Dennison makes the Bills an interesting option for RGIII. His offense is not all that different from the Kyle Shanahan-led scheme Griffin flourished in during his rookie season. If he couldn’t land the starting role in an open competition with Taylor, Griffin could compete with Cardale Jones, T.J. Yates, and Nathan Peterman for the backup role.

That’s a crowded quarterbacks room, so it’s unlikely the Bills take a chance on Griffin at this point. If they don’t like what they see from all of the guys on the roster, though, that may change.

It’s been a rough couple of seasons for Andrew Luck. Last year, the team went 8-8 and missed the playoffs for a second consecutive season. The offensive line allowed 44 sacks and 128 quarterback hits, but Luck somehow stayed on the field for 15 games. The previous year saw Luck sidelined with a shoulder injury and then a lacerated kidney and abdominal muscle tear.

Now Luck is coming off shoulder surgery to repair a lingering issue from 2015. Scott Tolzien, Luck’s backup, spent three seasons as the understudy to Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. He does have plenty of experience as a backup, but Griffin’s starting experience should be appealing.

Tolzien started one game in Luck’s stead last year — against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He managed just 206 yards, one touchdown, and two picks in the home loss. The Steelers were one of the few opponents Griffin was healthy enough to face last year with Cleveland. In an overtime loss at Pittsburgh, Griffin finished with 232 passing yards, two touchdowns, an interception, and a fumble.

Luck can be mobile — he’s totaled 1,442 rushing yards in five seasons. But the Colts have pushed him into more of a pocket-passer role, so the offense wouldn’t be the most natural fit for Griffin’s skill set. Still, it would be kind of fun to have Luck and Griffin, whose careers are already inextricably tied as the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in 2012, on the same team.

Injuries have defined Griffin’s career since near the end of his rookie year. In Week 14 of his first season in Washington, he suffered an LCL sprain, and in the playoffs a few weeks later, tore it fully, along with his ACL and meniscus. He never got back to his Rookie of the Year form and was released last offseason.

The 2016 season was an opportunity at redemption for Griffin in Cleveland, but a shoulder injury kept it from happening. Griffin earned the starting job with the Browns last season, but he went down with the injury in Week 1 on a running play. He was only healthy enough to be on the field for five games last year. He threw for 886 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions behind an offensive line that allowed him to be sacked, on average, more than four times per game.

Griffin was under center for the Browns’ only win last season, but he was released in March.

RG3 could still carve out a nice little career as a backup, though. Less time on the field would mean a greater chance of remaining healthy, and who knows? Landing with the right team and getting a shot as a backup could lead to a rebirth of Griffin’s career.