Browns place Robert Griffin III on injured reserve with shoulder injury

Kirstie Chiappelli

Browns place Robert Griffin III on injured reserve with shoulder injury image

Robert Griffin III has already suffered a setback in his comeback season.

The Browns quarterback sustained a left shoulder injury in Sunday's 29-10 season-opening loss to the Eagles and has been placed on injured reserve, the team announced Monday.

Veteran Josh McCown is slated to get the start under center in Cleveland's Week 2 home opener against the rival Ravens.

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"It’s very unfortunate, Robert came in and has worked extremely hard to learn our offense and earn the respect of his teammates," Browns coach Hue Jackson said in a release. "This is a tough loss because everyone has seen how invested he has been in this team and his dedication to the work needed to improve his craft. We all know these are the realities of the NFL, injuries occur and you have to find ways to overcome them so they don’t impede your progress.

"Robert will do everything in his power to rehab and get healthy but Josh McCown is on this roster for a reason and we have great confidence in him. He is more than capable. His veteran presence has been an asset to our team throughout our process of preparing for the season. We look forward to him assuming the role of the starter and leading our offensive unit."

Griffin initially suffered the injury on an 11-yard scramble on third-and-long in the fourth quarter when he was rocked by rookie cornerback Jalen Mills as he ran out of bounds. He was further examined on the sidelined but downplayed the severity of the injury after the game.

Griffin's season isn't necessarily over, as he could be designated to return from IR after missing at least eight games. The team will re-evaluate him in 3-4 weeks.

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"It's a sprained shoulder, (we) just have to monitor it and see how it goes,'' Griffin said. (Though the Associated Press reports he broke a bone in his left shoulder.) "I can move my left arm. I'm in pain, but it will be OK, just have to monitor it.  We'll see more tomorrow and see how my shoulder is feeling and just move on from there.

"It was an unfortunate play. Just trying to score a touchdown and put us in a position to have a chance to win the game. It hurt pretty bad, but I felt like I had to get back out there and finish the battle with my teammates out on the field."

Things were starting to look up for Griffin, who signed with the Browns as a free agent in March and was elected as one of the team captains for the 2016 season by his teammates. He completed 12 of 26 passes for 190 yards and added 37 rushing yards against Philadelphia.

 

Kirstie Chiappelli