Could Los Angeles Rams take a chance on RGIII?

The Los Angeles Rams ‘potential quarterback’ saga took another couple of turns in the last few days. Firstly came the announcement that Peyton Manning, who some suggested might have one last hurrah with the Rams, would retire from the game. Today the news came that Robert Griffin III was being released by the Washington Redskins. 

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Surely it would be the ultimate irony for the Rams to pick up a player who Washington gave up all the draft selections for back in 2012. Could it happen? As unlikely as it may seem, there are a few reasons why it may. Firstly, like former Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, Griffin had an excellent rookie season before the injuries hit from which he has arguably never fully recovered.

What this shows is that Griffin can, if he is fit and on form, win games in this league. In the three years 2012 to 2014 Griffin never had a pass completion rate averaging below 60% – unlike Case Keenum whose career high is only 60.8%. Griffin also has the added dimension of his threat in the running game. He has eight career rushing touchdowns – the same number as Case Keenum, Nick Foles, Sam Bradford and Austin Davis combined.

Also of note is the fact that pretty much every mock draft you look at has the Rams taking a quarterback at number fifteen on April 28^th. Taking a quarterback that high would almost certainly mean they would take over the starting job from day one – which would contradict all we’ve been hearing this offseason about Case Keenum remaining as the starter.

Taking a chance on RGIII would mean he could justifiably sit on the roster as a backup, given that he has not shown the form he did in his rookie season – which would mean the Rams front office would not lose face by dropping Keenum after giving him so much public support. Having Keenum and Griffin as the one-two quarterback combination would also give the Los Angeles Rams the chance to spend that first round selection on another position of need, such as wide receiver, guard, or linebacker.

Undoubtedly Griffin himself will want to prove to the league and to himself that he can be the player he was in 2012. Many have queried whether RGIII can ever be a league-leading quarterback, and none more than he will want to see the doubters proved wrong.

Griffin’s detractors will obviously say he was a one-season wonder with no long-term potential – but the Rams have already shown with the Nick Foles trade that they are prepared to give a contract to a quarterback on the back of a single good season. If Griffin was to land with the Rams behind a young and slowly improving offensive line that gave up a league-lowest 18 sacks last year, the potential is there for a comeback season.

OK, so maybe it is just wild speculation. But hey, it’s the time of year for it, right? With free agency just around the corner and the draft less than 8 weeks away, there are theories all over the place about who may end up where. Could the craziest move of all be for the Rams to take a chance on Robert Griffin III? Unlikely, yes. Impossible, no.