FRIDAY, 10:38am: The Browns have officially announced (via Twitter) that Manziel will start on Sunday. Ulrich tweets that McCown remains in concussion protocol and won’t practice today, opening the door for the second-year signal-caller.
THURSDAY, 5:40pm: Browns quarterback Josh McCown will likely start the team’s game against the Titans this Sunday if he’s medically cleared to practice Friday morning, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal writes.
“If he’s cleared and practices fully tomorrow, I don’t see, barring anything unforeseen, a reason why we wouldn’t play him,” head coach Mike Pettine said, according to Ulrich.
McCown entered the season as the Browns’ starter, but he suffered a concussion in their 31-10 loss to the Jets after completing 5 of 8 passes for 49 yards. McCown sustained the injury in the first quarter while diving into the end zone for what could have been a touchdown. However, multiple Jets hit him and caused a fumble that New York recovered. The game was scoreless at the time. Cleveland’s second-string QB, Johnny Manziel, entered the game in relief and performed poorly, hitting on 13 of 24 throws for 182 yards, a touchdown, an interception, and two fumbles.
Manziel will start against 1-0 Tennessee if McCown isn’t medically cleared to play, though Pettine is optimistic about McCown’s chances.
“We’re hopeful, optimistic,” said Pettine. “To me, these situations you learn over time, they’re just impossible to predict.”