BEREA, Ohio -- Robert Griffin III has made "tremendous strides," but Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson is not yet ready to officially name him the starting quarterback.
"There's a lot of different hats that that man wears," Jackson said Wednesday after the Browns final organized team activities practice. "And I have to make sure for our football team, for our city, for our opportunity to win that we make the right choice and not just the fast choice."
Griffin has been active and involved at practice, clapping demonstrably after completions and sprinting between drills. His throwaways under pressure have even been noteworthy; some have hit the top of a 15-foot fence, with one clearing the fence and hitting a pine tree in a yard next to the practice fields. He also seems to have made a point to work on sliding, something he did not do at Washington.
When throwing the ball, he's made some good throws and some not-so-good throws, but he has yet to go full speed against a live defense.
"It hasn't been perfect all the time," Jackson said, "but it's been really good and I see glimpses of it being extremely good. And that's what we're chasing."
Griffin seems to recognize how important this chance is after falling from the Redskins starter to not playing a down in 2015. In April, he said that he has "a massive chip on his shoulder" to show he belongs in the NFL.
"I've seen he has something to prove," cornerback Joe Haden said. "He feels people aren't looking at him [the same way they did] when he came out of college. I think he still has that talent. I know he feels like he still has that talent, that ability to be a starting quarterback in the league."
Earlier in the offseason program, receiver Terrelle Pryor posted a brief video on his Instagram account where he stated he had arrived at the facility at 7 a.m. Pryor panned through the locker room to show Griffin was already at his locker going over the playbook.
"I think he's made tremendous strides," Jackson said. "I really do. He's getting better and growing each and every day. I'm very proud of the work he's put in. I said it from Day One, that all of these guys just got to put their head down and work. He's done that."
But Jackson said he has to see "a little bit more" to feel "very comfortable and confident in saying, 'This is our guy.'" In the practices that have been open to the media, Griffin usually takes the first snap in drills. He also gets the majority of the first-team reps, though Josh McCown also gets some.
"I feel very comfortable that we have enough candidates at the position that people are starting to emerge," Jackson said. "But again I want to feel very good, me myself along with our staff, about naming that guy. There's more than just playing the position. I hope we all understand that."
Jackson has said repeatedly since taking over as the Browns coach that the quarterback has to be the face of the franchise.
Next week's three-day minicamp will conclude the team's final offseason work. Jackson canceled Thursday's OTA practice so the entire team could take part in the Browns' charity golf tournament.
League rules allow 10 OTA practices. Jackson scheduled nine, but canceled the last one, meaning he had eight days of practice along with the three-day mandatory minicamp.