After meeting with multiple teams over the past few weeks, it appears that Josh McCown has found a new home. Multiple outlets are reporting that the Cleveland Browns have signed the veteran quarterback to a three-year deal. McCown was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on February 11th.
The move ends weeks of speculation as to where McCown would inevitably land. The 35-year-old had been in discussions with the Buffalo Bills, and rumors persisted that a deal was imminent with them as early as last week. In the end, though, he will be joining Buffalo’s neighbors on Lake Erie and falling into a quarterback situation that remains up in the air.
Brian Hoyer received the bulk of the snaps for the Browns last season and was impressive at times until a shoulder injury ended his season in Week 16 against Carolina. The move to sign McCown combined with Hoyer’s impending free agency likely means he’s played his final down in Cleveland. If Hoyer bolts, McCown will be competing with Johnny Manziel and possibly even Connor Shaw for the starting job when preseason camp arrives.
McCown is probably mostly well-known for filling in honorably for an injured Jay Cutler when he played for the Chicago Bears in 2013. He appeared in eight games and finished with 1,829 yards, 13 touchdowns and a single interception. He became a late-season fantasy darling during a three-game stretch where he averaged over 350 yards passing and threw for eight touchdowns.
The Bucs acquired him last season and was probably hoping that form would continue, but it didn’t happen. McCown was horribly inconsistent and was even benched for a few games in favor of Mike Glennon. He ended up finishing the season with 2,206 yards, 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. His Total QBR of 35.7 ranked him 28th in the league.
The Browns are another one of those organizations (much like the Bills) who haven’t had a franchise quarterback in quite some time now. McCown isn’t exactly in his prime as he’ll be 36 when the season begins so he can’t exactly be expected to fit the bill. That said, he’s about as good as you’re going to be able to do in free agency this year. With Hoyer likely on his way out, it looks like we should all be getting ready for Manziel versus McCown in Browns camp come summer.
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