The Cleveland Browns know what talented, but embattled young quarterback they want. But it's not who you think.
Talk over the past few weeks has swirled that the new Browns brass, led by Sashi Brown and head coach Hue Jackson, were looking into the possible acquisition of an athletic quarterback with a formerly sterling resume looking to move on from a franchise that used him and abused him and then left him to fend for himself once things with the organization's previous regime went sour.
That signal-caller, of course, was Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers. But it seems the Browns are moving on from Kaep and focusing their attention elsewhere, specifically on former Washington Redskins quarterback and 2012 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, Robert Griffin III.
Brown spoke with reporters at the NFL's annual owner's meetings on Monday and told the assembled media that the team was "moving forward" on potentially adding RGIII. He added that the team is still in the information-gathering process, doing his best to pump the brakes on talk that RGIII will become a Brown in the near future.
He also told reporters that Cleveland is not "actively" pursuing a trade for Kaepernick and that their overall interest in the Niners quarterback may have been "over-reported.
"At this point we don't anticipate being engaged with San Francisco," Brown said.
It had been reported in the early days of the latest NFL league year that the Browns and Denver Broncos had emerged as potential suitors for Kaep, a supremely talented player who, like RGIII, seems to struggle with reading defenses and accepting coaching on the finer points of the game.
But the Niners aren't just going to give away an asset, especially one who was leading them to winning records and NFC Championship Games not all that long ago, so when it was suggested that a second-round pick was the asking price, it seemed to make sense.
Only Kaep, again like RGIII, is damaged goods. Neither the Browns, nor the Broncos are apparently interested in paying that kind of premium price for a player they view as worth something more along the lines of a fourth-rounder. And while Kaepernick is said to have a desire to play for Jackson in Cleveland, it sure sounds like the Browns are more interested in the potential addition of Griffin, who won't cost them anything in terms of draft compensation.
