Ravens to sign RGIII to one-year deal

BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Ravens and quarterback Robert Griffin III have agreed to a one-year deal, general manager Ozzie Newsome announced Wednesday at the team’s predraft news conference.

The 2012 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year last played in the league two seasons ago, in 2016, when he started five games for the Cleveland Browns. He was released the following March and did not see the field in 2017.

Griffin, a former Redskins star who still lives in the Washington area, went through a full workout for team officials last week when the Ravens were looking at some wide receivers, and the team reached an agreement Monday.

After his workout, Griffin went to visit another team, Newsome said, but the Ravens were able to reach a deal, the terms of which were not announced. Griffin’s expected to return to Baltimore next week to sign the contract.

“We are always working, trying to make our roster as good as can be,” Newsome said.

The signing of Griffin, 28, gives the Ravens a third quarterback on the roster, and a possible competitor to Josh Woodrum for the role of backing up Joe Flacco. Newsome also said Griffin’s signing would not affect the team’s plans to take a quarterback in the upcoming draft.

The Ravens will hope Griffin can recover some of the form that made him one of the NFL’s most dynamic talents. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 draft, Griffin passed for 3,200 yards and rushed for 815 yards in 15 games his rookie year, finishing with a combined 27 touchdowns as he led the Washington Redskins to the playoffs. The only game he missed was because of a knee injury suffered in Week 14 against the Ravens.

But Griffin, who had a history of injuries in college, reinjured his knee in the NFC wild-card-game loss to the Seattle Seahawks and underwent surgery on both his LCL and ACL.

His production waned over the next two seasons, as he started 13 games in 2013 and seven in 2014 before eventually ceding the starting role to Kirk Cousins. In 2015, Griffin fell to third on the Redskins depth chart and remained inactive during the regular season. He was released the following March and spent one season with the Browns.

“Robert came in, had a really good workout, looked good throwing the ball, was in very good shape,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “Obviously, his personality, he’s a confident guy. He’s a very talented quarterback that’s had a lot of success in this league early on.”