Cleveland Browns: Robert Griffin III, Colt McCoy or Someone Else at QB in 2012?

The Cleveland Browns have had 16 starting quarterbacks since reforming as a franchise in 1999, and it's clear that the team needs stability if they are going to improve their positioning not just in the AFC North but in the league as a whole.

The team is faced with a few interesting options this offseason, and depending on what choice they make, it could turn the team into an eventual winner or keep them mired in the dregs of the league.

The main question this offseason is whether or not to retain Colt McCoy as the starting quarterback. McCoy, who was the team's third-round draft pick in 2010, has yet to complete a full season of games but hasn't shown much promise as the Browns' long-term answer at the position.

Colt McCoy, 2011

G	Comp%	PYds	TDs	INTs	RAtts	RYds	RTDs
13	57.2	2,733	14	11	61	214	0

Though McCoy's completion percentages through his two years at quarterback haven't been dreadful, his seeming inability to throw an accurate deep ball puts the Browns at a clear disadvantage in an NFL that has skewed towards the big-armed passing game.

Combine McCoy's drawbacks with the lack of receiving weapons the Browns have fielded in recent years, and it's certainly not a formula for passing success.

Though Cleveland is going to target receivers both in free agency and the draft, which should improve McCoy's chances to succeed should he remain under center as starter in 2012, a combination of better receivers and a better quarterback would be the Browns' ideal goal.

There are two ways they can choose to upgrade at quarterback if McCoy no longer seems like a viable starting option. One is through the draft, and the other is via free agency. Both have their benefits and their drawbacks.

In the draft, the Browns could go one of two ways: They could trade up to the No. 2 spot held by the St. Louis Rams to draft Robert Griffin III, losing their two first-round and their lone sixth-round pick as a result, or they could use their 22nd overall first-round pick to draft Ryan Tannehill—a prospect whose stock has fluctuated wildly throughout the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012.

Robert Griffin III v. Ryan Tannehill, 2011

	G	Comp%	PYds	TDs	INTs	RAtts	RYds	RTDs
Griffin	13	72.4	4,293	37	6	179	699	10
Tannehill	13	61.6	3,744	29	15	58	306	4

Between the two, Griffin seems like more of a sure thing, though clearly nothing is guaranteed out of any draft pick. Tannehill and Griffin have one thing in common—mobility, and the athleticism that goes along with it—but otherwise, Tannehill is little more than a McCoy redux, albeit with improved arm strength.

It would be a high price to pay for Griffin, especially for a team with as many needs on both offense and defense as the Browns. But if the tradeoff is a starting quarterback who can lead the team for four, five or even 10 seasons, that's not too costly in my estimation.

If the Browns decide against making a bid for the Rams' No. 2 pick, they could afford to bring on a veteran free agent quarterback instead. The Green Bay Packers' Matt Flynn is clearly at the top of that list, but I also like Jason Campbell, most recently of the Oakland Raiders, for the Browns as well.

Flynn hasn't seen much on-field action behind Aaron Rodgers, but he saw his free agency value skyrocket thanks to his Week 17 outing against the Detroit Lions in which he completed 70.5 percent of his passes for 480 yards, six touchdowns, one interception and one lost fumble.

It's hardly the most telling sample size, and one must also take into account that he was throwing to one of the best receiving corps in the league against a Lions secondary that was anything but stout in 2011.

However, he's drummed up interest around the league, and the Browns, should they be sold on acquiring him, will likely have to enter into a bidding war to acquire the services of a player who is just slightly less of an unknown than the soon-to-be-rookie Griffin.

That's why a veteran free agent might serve the Browns better than Flynn. Campbell is a great option; he's never really gotten a fair chance in his time with both the Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders, first being driven out by a Redskins staff that no longer needed him and then losing his job to Carson Palmer in 2011 after breaking his collarbone.

Jason Campbell, 2011

G	Comp%	Yds	TDs	INTs	RAtts	RYds	TDs
6	60.6	1,170	6	4	18	60	2

Campbell deserves another chance to start in the NFL. While he's not the flashiest option for the Browns, he's a fast-learning and talented player who could really come into his own in a system where he's not considered just a stopgap option.

Whatever the Browns ultimately choose to do, one thing seems most clear: McCoy is not long for the starting job. He's got a future in Cleveland as the team's backup and could continue to develop without the pressure of having to be the offense's leader.

If they choose to bring in a veteran free agent, McCoy could find himself the starting quarterback again in a few years' time; if they trade up for Griffin, however, there's little to no chance McCoy will be the Browns' starter ever again.

Clearly, finding the right fit at quarterback is the top priority for the Browns this year, as it has been since 1999. Though history says that they won't, the options presented to them in this offseason gives them their best chance to ultimately turn that longtime trend around.

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