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Whether they know it or not, the Washington Redskins just ended the Robert Griffin III era in Washington by announcing Kirk Cousins as the starting quarterback. The Redskins gave up a ton to draft him and basically bumbled him into the ground from the very start. It’s only a matter of time before Griffin finds himself released and free to sign with whichever team will have him. The Houston Texans would be probably the best situation Griffin could find himself in, and he’d make some measure of sense for the team.
It sounds weird and probably way out of left field, but you really have to take a good, long look at this. For starters, consider the fact that Washington may be the dumbest team alive in the NFL. Griffin had tremendous potential to work with, and everyone saw it. But the rub with him was that he needed to be developed. Let me repeat that again: he needed to be developed. Washington treated him like a plug-and-play starter and threw him out there expecting magic. What they should have done is come up with a sensible plan to bring him along, and then stick to the plan. They never did, Griffin struggled, and they smacked themselves silly trying to figure out why.
Oh yeah, they shouldn’t have thrown him out there with a bum knee, either.
Meanwhile, let’s look at the Texans. Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett are about as exciting as watching paint dry. They’re clearly both placeholders, bodies that are there to give the team enough time to find a long-term answer. Houston is only three short hours away from Baylor University, where Griffin is still revered as a god. And, by virtue of the fact that they’re not in Washington, if nothing else, the coaching staff will be the smartest Griffin’s been around in his career.
Perhaps the biggest positive for Houston is that they’re literally a quarterback (and a healthy Arian Foster) away from being serious contenders. Teams like that, who most likely won’t pick early on the draft, either need to hit the draft jackpot on a quarterback outside the top five or trade the house to get up that high to select one. Griffin would give them that potential without tripping them up anywhere. The Texans want to make a big draft trade for a quarterback? Great, because Griffin doesn’t get in the way. The Texans get lucky and they hit on a quarterback later in the draft? Go ahead and roll with him, because Griffin’s not expensive enough to bench.
And Houston can give Griffin everything he needs: a friendlier atmosphere, a more sensible coaching staff, and no pressure to perform quickly thanks to Hoyer and Mallett. There, Griffin could take a deep breath and just learn. Who knows, perhaps a change of scenery is just what Griffin needs. Whoever gives that to him could find themselves benefiting richly, and right now there’s no finer place than Houston.
Doug Green is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL. Follow him on Twitter @DGreenNFL.
