Robert Griffin III cleared to play in Week 17

After leaving Week 16 with a concussion, Robert Griffin III may get another chance to start for the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

The Cleveland Browns put a mark in the win column last week, with a home win over the San Diego Chargers. Robert Griffin III left the game with a concussion, which made it look certain he was done for the season with just one game to go. But not so fast, according to the Browns’ Twitter feed.

Being cleared from concussion protocol doesn’t mean Griffin will start, or even play, in Sunday’s regular season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rookie Cody Kessler may start, and it seems likely he will see some action regardless of Griffin’s availability.

But one notable Browns’ player, offensive tackle Joe Thomas, is firmly in Griffin’s corner.

"”We’ve got a limited amount of film on him so far, but I think the things we’ve seen in meeting rooms, on the practice field, in some of the games, I think you’ve seen franchise-level talent for sure, and I wouldn’t write him off by any stretch of the imagination,” left tackle Joe Thomas said Wednesday, according to The Associated Press.“I wouldn’t be shocked at all if he was our guy at the beginning of next season because I think he has shown enough that if they do decide to make Robert the guy, I think he can definitely be the guy, and I think he’d have the support of the locker room.”"

Next: NFL quarterback rankings: Week 17

Finding some stability under center is one of the first steps to success in the NFL, and that has obviously been elusive for the Browns. It’s at best unclear if Griffin can provide that kind of long-term answer, based purely on his injury history, and he may not even be back with the team next season.