It’s now official.

Browns will start quarterback Robert Griffin III on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. Michael Silver from the NFL Network was the first to report the official decision.

It’s not that big of a surprise to Browns fans that they’re going in this decision. Once Griffin was cleared for contact before the bye week, it was only going to be a matter of time before he’d be announced the starter once again. 

Griffin hasn’t seen the field since breaking a bone in his shoulder Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles. He was cleared to return to practice on November 16 and the team had 21 days to activate him onto the roster.

With Griffin returning, the Browns offense because more dynamic although I still have some doubts about his durability. His arm strength and mobility will open up the Browns offense which has been dead for the majority of the season.

With defenses now having to prepare for the possibility of Griffin taking off and running, it could open things up for Duke Johnson and Isaiah Crowell which have been non existent since Week 5 against New England. 

And with Griffin’s ability to throw it deep, you have to hope this will spark Corey Coleman’s season which has been up and down with injury and inconsistency.

It’ll be interesting to see in the final four games if:

• Can Griffin stay healthy?
• Will the team perform better with him at quarterback?
• Will the Browns win?
• How does that dictate the QB position for 2017 and beyond?

I think regardless of Griffin’s performance, the quarterback position must be addressed this offseason.

 Whether it’s in a trade of say Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo or selecting one in the NFL Draft like North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky or Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, they need to find the franchise guy.

Not saying Griffin can’t be the guy but there’s serious doubts about him and I think even if there’s success shown by him, the organization can’t bank on Griffin being the franchise QB. 

Training Camp in Columbus?

It’s becoming more and more of an anomaly, the Browns will have training camp in the capital of the Buckeye state. 

The Columbus Dispatch reported Thursday morning that the city and the team are negotiating a deal to bring training camp to Columbus in 2018.

The deal would enfolded the building of a recreation center at Tuttle Park, which is north of the Ohio State University. The center will have three fields for the Browns to have their camp, two natural grass and one turf. It’s estimated cost is around 15-17 million dollars.

The team would contribute five million, Franklin County would contribute five million, and the city of Columbus contributes the rest of the cost.

It’s no surprise the Browns have been trying to expand the fan base in the state despite the struggles of the franchise.

 The team has hosted the annual Brown and Orange scrimmage the last two seasons in Ohio Stadium and talks to move camp to Columbus stalled after a request for state funding for a facility was pulled.

For the fans in Northeast Ohio that are complaining about the potential move of training camp, get over it.

The Dallas Cowboys have held training camp in California, the New Orleans Saints hold camp in West Virginia. It doesn’t have to be held near the home city and it’ll be good exposure for the franchise. 

I think it’ll also help the rookies get more acclimated to traveling on the road because they’ll have to travel from Columbus to Cleveland for the home preseason games.

The Berea facility, while they’ve made major renovations and players have said it now feels like a NFL facility, still has flaws. I attended training camp in 2013 and there was so many spectators in such a little space, it was hard to move around and watch practice. And the indoor practice field isn’t a full sized field and that’s a problem that still hasn’t been addressed.

Nothing is official but I think the move to Columbus is good for the team as well as the fan base.