Barring a miraculous turn of events, the Washington Redskins will release quarterback Robert Griffin III this offseason. Though things did not work out in Washington due to some reasons of his own doing and some reasons out of his control, the young QB could still resurrect his career elsewhere. Griffin still possesses impressive athleticism and speed for the position and was never a distraction for the Skins this past season as he rode the bench. The nine games he played in 2014 were far from impressive - 33.5 QBR - but he's the type of low risk-high reward gamble a QB-needy team like the Los Angeles Rams should take.
Rams head coach Jeff Fisher flipped the oft-injured Sam Bradford for Nick Foles last offseason in an attempt to bring some much needed stability to the position. That move did not work out as Foles floundered in the job. Griffin won't be too expensive on the open market and he offers more upside than any other potential QB addition.
Why not?
"If there's a place that they might want to look for a high-upside option, though, it's at quarterback," ESPN's Bill Barnwell wrote of Los Angeles. "The Rams have gone with high-floor, low-ceiling options in years past and found that the floor was lower than they expected. There's little guarantee RGIII would work out, of course, but there's something compelling about the idea of the Rams succeeding with the quarterback they essentially traded away to Washington before the 2012 draft. And there's nobody on the market who has ever played any better than Griffin did during his season in the sun."
RGIII's rookie season was arguably the most impressive of any QB in NFL history. He completed 65.6 percent of his passes while throwing for 3, 2000 yards with 20 touchdowns and only five interceptions. He also ran for 815 yards and seven additional scores. However, Griffin's lack of pocket awareness, struggles with pre-snap reads and tendency to hold the ball far too long led to his failure as a more traditional passer. The Rams will have to tailor their offense to suit Griffin's skills should they go in this direction.
