By Alex Woodward
In the first day of padded practices, the Ravens lost one of their most important depth players on the team as Robert Griffin III left the practice after hitting his hand on the helmet of Tim Williams during Saturday's session in front of the fans at M&T Bank Stadium.
Griffin was visibly shaken after the play as he threw his helmet in frustration. After getting x-rays Saturday night, his frustrations were justified:
Ravens say that Griffin will be out "at least a few weeks". Griffin said last night damage was to his right thumb. https://t.co/4ryNOpvKQW
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec)
July 28, 2019 His thumb injury is reportedly expected to keep him sidelined for 4-8 weeks but the Ravens remain hopeful he will be ready for Week 1 (6 weeks away). Healthy by week 1 or not you have to feel for Robert Griffin III. He revived his career last season by signing with the Ravens after the humbling experience of being out of the league entirely in 2017. He became a mentor to Lamar Jackson and has won over coaches, team personnel and even their owner Steve Bisciotti - who spoke glowingly of Griffin III in his conference call with PSL owners before the start of minicamp.
Now, he's tasked with enduring another rehab process before getting back to the team as Lamar Jackson's backup quarterback. It seems like he's using the old montra "it's better to laugh than cry":
Guess I’m all in for week one again #LaughThroughThePain -- pic.twitter.com/Kb2VAwVDYg
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII)
July 28, 2019 The Ravens are reportedly likely to sign another quarterback in the coming days to help them get through practices and preseason games. In other words they will sign a "camp arm" and it looks like that arm will be attached to Josh Johnson:
In need of a QB after the injury to RGIII, the #Ravens are working out FA Josh Johnson, source said. He impressed starting for the #Redskins last year.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet)
July 28, 2019 Josh Johnson reportedly had ankle surgery in March. If he proves he’s healthy, he makes most sense among options. Veteran who can run type of offense Ravens are building for Jackson, played w Ravens in 2016 and was with OC Greg Roman in SF.
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec)
July 28, 2019 Johnson would serve as a serviceable backup and he has experience with Greg Roman but I would argue the Ravens are losing the most valuable backup quarterback in the NFL. Sure there are rookies like Daniel Jones, Dwayne Haskins or Drew Lock that you could say might have higher upside but they are unproven. We know what Griffin is capable of and how he fits into this system. The system fit is the most important aspect of calling him the most valuable backup quarterback in the league (MVBQB for short). Besides being a living reminder for Lamar of how one hit can change the course of your career, Griffin fits perfectly into what the Ravens are trying to do. He ran a proficient read-option style offense with the Redskins and he still has enough speed to escape on the edges for some chunk yardage. He's also the most polished and accurate quarterback on the roster.
Hopefully this injury is just a bump in the road for Griffin and the Ravens but until Griffin is back and healthy, I'm sure the Ravens will be wary with how they use Lamar the rest of training camp and in preseason games.
