The Dallas Cowboys are rumored to be looking into a new quarterback for next year, but the reports that they were enamored with Johnny Manziel have given way to new rumors that they are looking at a different quarterback in search of a fresh start — Robert Griffin III.
This season gave the Cowboys a troubling glimpse of what the future might hold, with the team struggling after franchise quarterback Tony Romo went down for most of the season. The Cowboys got to see how the other half of the league lives, with the teams lacking a franchise quarterback stuck in a quagmire of losing and sloppy play.
But rumors indicate that the Dallas Cowboys may have a plan to address that, planning for the post-Romo era by looking at another talented quarterback.
Robert Griffin III cleans out locker, leaves Redskins a parting note (via @FOXSports ) https://t.co/c17mTGEQ5A
— TMZ (@TMZ) January 12, 2016
As David Moore wrote in the Dallas News , the team that once seemed set on bringing in Johnny Manziel may now be looking to grab Robert Griffin III, who is on his way out of Washington.
“Go back to three years ago, when the Cowboys lost the division to Washington. Griffin, who was hurt, still came up with some big plays and won that game. And Jerry Jones, if you remember after that year, Jerry Jones looked at that, had in his mind, ‘We’re going to have to go against this dynamic quarterback and this team for the next five to six years. What are we going to have to do offensively? We have to become more creative offensively.’ The charge that offseason was going back to the reincarnation of ‘We’ve got to be more Romo-friendly. You’ve got to be more creative on offense.’”
While the Dallas Cowboys were rumored to be interested in Johnny Manziel, that reportedly has fallen. Though Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was once very high on Manziel, and even tried to talk his team into drafting him in 2014, he was overruled and now the luster has come off the former Heisman winner with his continued off-the-field trouble.
The Cowboys would give Robert Griffin III his best chance to succeed https://t.co/bKVOLxu69d pic.twitter.com/sbXtF1penB
— Neil Greenberg (@ngreenberg) January 12, 2016
As ESPN ‘s Todd Archer wrote, it’s not likely Jerry Jones can convince the football minds in Dallas to take a chance on Manziel, if Jones is even interested anymore.
“Wait, doesn’t Jerry Jones love Manziel? Don’t the Cowboys need a backup quarterback? The arguments that were made against signing Manziel in 2014 are still valid, and Dallas might be the worst place for him to come, considering his off-field issues. The people who won the Manziel battle in 2014 still work for the Cowboys today, and his on-field performance has not mitigated the off-field concerns.”
It may be difficult for Manziel to find any team willing to take a chance on him. New Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson has made it clear he doesn’t want Manziel on the team next season, and ESPN noted that there are no other teams that would be high on him.
There could be more competition for Robert Griffin III. There is plenty of people around the league who blame the Redskins for his fall-off, and Griffin showed this year that he can be a good locker room presence even after being benched.
But if the rumors are true, then the Dallas Cowboys will also have some decisions regarding Tony Romo. It’s likely that he still has another season or two left in him, but if the Cowboys move to bring in either Robert Griffin III or Johnny Manziel it could lead to a competition for the starting job. With Romo coming off a major injury and a long recovery, there could be no guarantee that he holds onto the job.
[Picture by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images]