Robert Griffin III injury: Will Johnny Manziel replace him?

Robert Griffin III’s season is over, but could the Browns go full-Cleveland and re-enlist the help of Johnny Manziel to fill the void?

The NFL season began this weekend, but it’s already over for Robert Griffin III. The Cleveland Browns quarterback suffered a shoulder injury in Week 1, one that has officially cost him his shot at redemption.

Cleveland announced on Monday that RGIII will be placed on IR, effectively ending his season before it could even get started. It’s a tragic tale, if we’re being honest. This was Griffin’s shot to prove the critics wrong and show us all that he has something left in the tank; that he can be the player we all thought he could.

RGIII’s career is now in serious doubt. He’s going to more than likely get cut before the beginning of next season, which isn’t the complete end of the road. But wherever he ends up after Cleveland, it’s going to be in a backup role.

Speaking of backups — and guys looking to revive their careers — there’s one guy that some might start to mention when it comes to replacing RGIII. Johnny Manziel was a dumpster-fire with the Browns and has flamed the hell out since he went off the rails.

But could the Browns end up giving him a shot, again?

The chances aren’t very likely but not impossible. Manziel has natural talent that can be tapped into, but he’s a head case. The Browns had the opportunity to fit him into this Hue Jackson scheme and they passed. Manziel is also suspended for the first four games of the season so he’s ineligible to be an immediate replacement for RGIII.

It’s preposterous to think about, but let’s pretend it was actually plausible. Isn’t that the best way that this story can end? While we all want to see RGIII revive his career and be the player he was looking to be out of Baylor, perhaps giving a guy like Manziel a chance to redeem himself is the best ending to this tragic tale.

Of course, there’s a chance that Griffin returns to the Browns and is still able to revive his career. But this might be it for him in the NFL, and he might have more in common with Manziel now than we ever thought he would — failed Browns quarterbacks with not so bright futures.