Josh McCown Likely Out For Season

Josh McCown‘s return to the Browns’ starting lineup didn’t last long, as the veteran quarterback, who has been plagued by health issues all year, went down with a possible broken collarbone during Monday night’s loss to the Ravens. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, McCown will probably be out for the rest of the 2015 season.

The Browns have yet to confirm the diagnosis on McCown, and Cabot concedes that the collarbone may not be broken, but she hears from a source that the injury is likely serious enough to end the 36-year-old’s season either way. Considering the team has a league-worst 2-9 record, it’s hard to imagine he’ll be rushed back.

If McCown is officially ruled out for the year, the team will have a decision to make on his replacement. Austin Davis came on in relief on Monday night, while No. 3 quarterback Johnny Manziel sat on the bench. However, the club may ultimately decide that seeing what Manziel can do during the season’s last few weeks is too important to keep him behind Davis on the depth chart.

Manziel, of course, was removed from the starting job last week after photos surfaced of him partying at a nightclub in Austin. Reports indicated that the second-year signal-caller lied to the Browns about the photos, though the club never confirmed that.

As for McCown, if this is the end of his season, he’ll finish with fairly respectable numbers. The Browns only won one of his eight starts, but he completed 63.7% of his passes, throwing for 2,109 yards, 12 touchdowns, and just four interceptions. Having signed a three-year contract with Cleveland, McCown still has some guaranteed money left on his deal in 2016, so he’s a good bet to return either as the starter or backup.