A bye in Week 13 gave the Browns a Sunday without a loss and time to reevaluate their fragile quarterback situation.
Enter Robert Griffin III for yet another chance at returning to his former glory and proving the two-year, $15 million deal he signed with the Browns in the offseason wasn’t a mistake.
Cleveland plans to start Griffin on Sunday against the division rival Bengals, barring any setback in his return from the fractured left shoulder he suffered in the Sept. 12 opener, according to ESPN.
The 0-12 Browns again are placing their hopes on the former Heisman Trophy winner to rediscover the play-making abilities that made him a rookie sensation with the Redskins in 2012, when he led them to their first playoff berth in five years before a knee injury sidelined him and sent his career on a sad downward spiral.
The Browns are coming off just another near miss, this one against the Giants. Journeyman quarterback Josh McCown went 25-of-43 passing for a deceiving 322 yards, much of it in garbage time, and one touchdown in the 27-13 loss.
Rookie Cody Kessler, the third-round pick out of USC, has gotten most of the snaps this season and has shown potential, but the decision to turn back to Griffin shows the disastrous Browns — not surprisingly — are desperate for any answer to avoid the second 0-16 season in NFL history, alongside the 2008 Lions.