BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns Coach Hue Jackson named Robert Griffin III the starting quarterback for Sunday’s home game against Cincinnati and made it clear Griffin will be auditioning for a chance to become the franchise’s quarterback of the future after missing 11 games because of a fractured bone in his left shoulder.

“The fact that we are putting him out there says that,” Jackson said Thursday. “We want to know. I want to know more. I have only seen him really play for not even a full game. The more information, the more time I get an opportunity to evaluate him, the better it’s going to be.

“I am not expecting everything to go perfect. I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on anybody. It is his second game in a little over maybe two years, so hopefully it will go right, but if it does not, that’s OK, too. We have to go get him to play and hopefully play well, but we all understand the situation that he’s in and that he’s facing. I think he is up to the challenge.”

Griffin has played only once in the last two seasons. He was benched in Washington for the 2015 season, then suffered a broken non-throwing shoulder Sept. 11 in the regular-season opener.

The Browns have an 0-12 record.

 The team is discussing a move of its preseason training camp from its year-round facility in Berea, Ohio, to a new city recreation facility in Columbus, Ohio.

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BRONCOS: Von Miller’s lead-leading sack total jumped to 13½.

The NFL belatedly credited Miller with a strip-sack for his play late in the fourth quarter that sealed Denver’s 20-10 victory Sunday at Jacksonville.

JETS: New York placed center Nick Mangold on injured reserve because of an ankle injury, ending his season.

Mangold aggravated an ankle injury Monday night during a 41-10 loss to Indianapolis.

BRONCOS: Quarterback Trevor Siemian returned to practice, his first full practice with the team since spraining his left foot Nov. 27 in an overtime loss to Kansas City.

Siemian appeared to be moving well during the 20-minute media access period.

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PANTHERS: Quarterback Cam Newton said that while this season has been “demoralizing,” his struggles aren’t from a lack of preparation.

“It doesn’t matter how much I prepare. If it doesn’t translate on the field people will say ‘Oh he’s garbage,’ ” Newton said. “So for me, it’s trying to get it to carry over from practice to games. It just hasn’t (translated) this season, and I don’t have nobody to blame but myself.”

FALCONS: Atlanta signed cornerback Robert Alford to a four-year contract extension.

Alford has played in 53 games over four seasons with the Falcons, including 41 starts. He has nine interceptions, returning two for touchdowns and teaming with Desmond Trufant to give Atlanta one of the league’s better cornerback combos.


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