Hue Jackson Comments on Robert Griffin III's Redskins Tenure

New Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson recently welcomed a fresh quarterback to the fold in Robert Griffin III. Jackson felt confident in doing so after talking with him at length about his turbulent NFL career to date.  

Speaking with The MMQB's Peter King on Saturday, Jackson explained why he was comfortable taking a chance on RG3 after the Washington Redskins cut the former Offensive Rookie of the Year in the offseason:

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When I looked in his eyes, I see a young man who's been kicked around a little bit. When we talked, there was a humility to him. He took ownership of what happened to him, of what he needs to work on to be good. He knows he played a big part in what happened. There are still questions to address and work to be done. He knows. In this league, you don't always get another chance like this. Here's one.

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Cleveland quarterbacks haven't kicked the door down in recent years when given the opportunity to start, much less become the franchise's long-awaited savior under center.

Johnny Manziel was the latest to blow a chance at accomplishing both of those, being shown the door after only two seasons with the team. Griffin, like Manziel, is a young former Heisman Trophy winner who's a dual-threat QB and has struggled to handle the spotlight at times in his own way.

Injuries and regression in performance as a member of the Redskins hit rock bottom for Griffin this past season when he was demoted to the scout team and didn't play a single regular-season down.

At least Griffin acknowledged his role in the situation, and Jackson admitted the turbulence and changing coaching staff in Washington didn't help the cause.

"That probably played a huge role in what happened with his development," said Jackson of Redskins coach Jay Gruden rolling with Kirk Cousins at QB, which—to be fair—resulted in an NFC East title for Washington in 2015.

Jackson also mentioned to King he was even more convinced to acquire Griffin after the talented signal-caller sat down to watch tape with him and assistant coach Pep Hamilton. NFL.com's Jeff Darlington recently revealed in a report that Jackson was thoroughly impressed with Griffin's skill set in a private workout.

But since Cleveland has the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft, the signing of Griffin doesn't necessarily preclude the Browns from taking a QB with their premium asset.

"I don't think signing Robert says anything about what we’ll do in the draft," Jackson said to King. "You never know. You can never have enough good players."

Creating a QB controversy doesn't seem like the best route for Cleveland to go based on the circus that ensued when Manziel was pitted against Brian Hoyer as a rookie. Then again, this is yet another new Browns regime, led by a composed, "no-nonsense" coach in Jackson who has a reputation for good quarterback work.

No matter who is under center for the team in 2016, it's worth it for Cleveland to explore every possible avenue to address its most glaring flaw since the franchise returned in 1999. The lack of a viable solution under center has plagued the Browns and is a big reason why they're drafting so high again.