The Griffin has landed.
The Cleveland Browns have reportedly agreed to terms with Robert Griffin III. The move opens a new chapter for the quarterback who exploded onto the scene as a rookie only to suffer a dramatic decline in the two subsequent seasons.
Griffin was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2012 and a bona fide fantasy superstar when he finished fifth among all players with 317.50 fantasy points. His numbers fell significantly the following year, a drop that many summed up to his recovery from a devastating knee injury. Yet it appeared there were greater forces at work when he played in just nine games in 2014, tallying 87.04 fantasy points.
The former Heisman winner's stay in Washington hit rock bottom in 2015 when he didn't play a single snap while watching Kirk Cousins rocket to stardom while leading the team to a 9-7 record.
Now Griffin has left the nation's capital for Cleveland ... which hasn't exactly been a haven for quarterbacks over the past two decades. The team has notoriously gone through a litany of signal-callers since 1999 and recently ended a volatile relationship with Johnny Manziel, the former Heisman winner who was once hailed as the franchise's savior.
But this is a new day. Head coach Hue Jackson has been lauded throughout his career for being able to get the most out of his talent -- especially at the quarterback position. The biggest question will be whether Jackson can repair the shaken confidence of a player who once seemed on top of the world. It might also help if the Browns can repair Griffin's mechanics and strengthen his ability to read NFL defenses. Both things led to the former Baylor star's downfall in his previous stop.
Then there's also the issue of what's on the roster around Griffin. The Browns didn't add any big pieces in free agency but instead watched a number of key players walk away, much to the chagrin of their fan base. This latest reboot might have longterm benefits, but this current iteration won't do much for anyone interested in Griffin's 2016 fantasy value.
Cleveland's top pass-catcher is last year's surprise fantasy star, tight end Gary Barnidge. Beyond that, the Browns are trotting out an unpleasant potpourri of wideouts highlighted by Andrew Hawkins, Brian Hartline and Taylor Gabriel. Duke Johnson can be a weapon out of the backfield, but he's likely to split snaps with the yet-to-blossom Isaiah Crowell. There is still a chance that the suspended Josh Gordon could be reinstated, but there has been little movement on that front so far.
Then there's the little issue of Josh McCown. The journeyman was more than serviceable last season, though he temporarily ceded his starting job to Manziel. If the Browns opt to not draft a quarterback with the second overall pick in this year's NFL Draft (they've been linked to both Carson Wentz and Jared Goff), it's likely to be a two-man competition for the job. If there is a rookie added to the mix then training camp could be a free-for-all.
As for Griffin's fantasy value -- beyond being just tied to his spot on the depth chart -- he still possesses the ability to be a threat running the football. That will always make him something of a commodity. But if you're looking to take a flier on him in any of your fantasy drafts, you'd be doing it wrong if you use anything more than your very final pick. Griffin was once on the football mountaintop, but his return climb to the summit could be Sisyphean. Right now, the risk far outweighs the reward.
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Marcas Grant is a fantasy editor for NFL.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarcasG.
