RG3 Breaks Coracoid Bone: Cleveland Browns Quarterback To Miss Minimum Of 8 Weeks After Being Placed On Injured Reserve

Cleveland Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III has been placed on injured reserve due to a broken bone in his non-throwing shoulder, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Griffin suffered the injury during Sunday’s 29-10 loss at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles when he lowered his shoulder into Eagles corner Jalen Mills and the Browns received the shocking news on Monday afternoon.

RG3 breaks bone in shoulder, could miss season https://t.co/LoJLJlNliQ pic.twitter.com/NH0FBZuhLY

— Norfolk NewsChannel (@Norfolk_NC) September 12, 2016

According to reports, Robert will allow three to four weeks for the injury to heal, and then he will be re-evaluated. By placing him on injured reserve, the Browns guarantee that Griffin won’t be able to return for a minimum of eight weeks. In his absence, veteran quarterback Josh McCown will take over the starting duties for the Browns’ offense.

This injury is just another example of how fragile Robert Griffin III’s body is and could prove that he’s not cut out for the NFL. While with the Washington Redskins, Griffin suffered a number of injuries including a torn ACL and a broken ankle. Injuries were at least part of the reason that he fell out of favor with the Redskins, as he wasn’t the same player as when he came into the league.

The torn ACL had some extenuating circumstances surrounding it, as no one knows for sure how badly it was injured before the turf at FedEx Field gave way during the Redskins’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the 2012 NFC Wild Card Playoffs. That being said, Robert’s broken ankle was a direct result of not sliding and protecting himself as was Sunday’s shoulder injury.

Griffin III has been criticized by coaches, players, and media members alike for not doing a good enough job of sliding when he gets out of the pocket. It’s even something that NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo spoke to Robert about as recently as Friday.

“It was just experience. He didn’t have to beat me over the head with it,” Griffin said. “It was just over my four years in the league I learned what you need to do to take care of yourself and take care of your body and be available for the next play. If there’s a chance to break a long run, you take it but when it’s time to protect yourself, you get down and move on to the next play.”

“It’s about situational football and studying yourself and your tendencies and realize that. And I realized I have an aggressive mindset when it comes to all things – throwing the ball, running the ball and just in life. I know that and I’m able to admit that so it helps me protect myself from myself.”

Apparently, it only took 48 hours for Griffin III to completely forget what he had told Garafolo on Friday.

BREAKING: Browns To Place RG3 On IR https://t.co/Ok5QUFfId4 pic.twitter.com/fYE33JosRy

— Pro Football Rumors (@pfrumors) September 12, 2016

Now, the Browns will turn to McCown as their starting quarterback for at least the next eight weeks. Josh is actually coming off of a pretty solid 2015 season in which he completed 63.7 percent of his passes for 2,109 yards and 12 touchdowns in only eight games. If he kept that same pace over 16 games, he would’ve thrown for 4,218 yards and 24 touchdowns with Gary Barnidge and Travis Benjamin as his leading receivers.

Depending on how long Robert Griffin III is out, the Browns could also turn to rookie Cody Kessler if they fall out of the playoff picture early. Cleveland selected Kessler with its third-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft out of USC. The team is excited about his future but likely won’t give him any playing time unless McCown ends up injured or the team has no chance of making the playoffs.

Unfortunately, it’s yet another setback in the young career of Griffin III, and one has to wonder if this will be his last opportunity to start in the NFL. The Browns were the only team willing to give him a shot to compete for a starting job this last offseason, and Robert ends up getting hurt in the first game of the season. It’ll be hard for any team to trust Robert Griffin III again.

[Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images]