Josh McCown - Pro Football Rumors

Browns’ Josh McCown Out 2-4 More Weeks

September 25th, 2016 at 3:43pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Browns quarterback Josh McCown will be miss two-to-four more weeks after strain and hairline crack in his left shoulder, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

In the meantime, the Browns will rely on rookie third-rounder Cody Kessler to manage the offense. Against the Dolphins today, Cleveland has also mixed in QB-turned-receiver Terrelle Pryor, who completed three-of-five attempts for 35 yards. The Browns also agreed to terms with veteran Charlie Whitehurst last week, who would be next in line should Kessler go down.

McCown, 37, went 1-7 as a starter for the Browns last season. In his one game under center for Cleveland this year, the veteran completed 20 of his 33 passes and threw two touchdowns with two interceptions.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Josh McCown Played With Broken Collarbone

September 23rd, 2016 at 11:15am CST by Connor J. Byrne

Quarterback Josh McCown played most of Cleveland’s 25-20 loss to Baltimore in Week 2 with a broken left collarbone, Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton said Friday (via USA Today). It was known that McCown was dealing with serious pain Sunday, but the exact nature of his injury was unclear prior to Horton’s revelation. McCown previously broke his right collarbone last year.

McCown completed 20 of 33 passes for 260 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions against the Ravens, who overcame a 20-0 deficit to send the Browns to 0-2. Along the way, the 37-year-old took three sacks and became the second Browns signal-caller to suffer a significant injury in the season’s first two weeks, joining previous starter Robert Griffin III, who hurt his shoulder in the club’s opener.

On playing through pain, McCown said Sunday (via the team’s website), “For me, it is those things and just knowing the window for me right now and understanding that I don’t want to miss snaps. I don’t want to be out there without my guys. Unless it is going to fall off, let’s try to make it work and make it go. That is my mentality.”

Neither Griffin nor McCown will be available this week (the former could be out for the year), leaving the Browns with third-round rookie Cody Kessler as their top option under center. Kessler will start Sunday in Miami, which is also 0-2, and newly signed veteran Charlie Whitehurst will back him up.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Browns’ McCown To Miss Significant Time?

September 19th, 2016 at 9:52am CST by Zachary Links

Could the Browns lose two quarterbacks in two weeks? That’s the fear in Cleveland right now after Josh McCown hurt his left shoulder on Sunday. The team expects him to be “out awhile,” though they’ll have a better handle on his condition after he gets an MRI done today, Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer writes.

If McCown has to miss multiple games, the Browns can be expected to look out-of-house for quarterback solutions. In theory, third-round rookie Cody Kessler is the next man up and the team is said to be happy with what they’ve seen out of him this offseason. However, despite the promise he has shown and the veteran guidance he has received from McCown, he may not be ready for live action just yet. The Browns do have rookie Kevin Hogan on the taxi squad and wide receiver Terrelle Pryor has quarterback experience, but neither one presents a better option than Kessler.

McCown, 37, went 1-7 as a starter for the Browns last season. In his one game under center for Cleveland this year, the veteran completed 20 of his 33 passes and threw two touchdowns with two interceptions. Next up for the Browns is a Sunday road contest against the Dolphins.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Browns Notes: RG3, McCown, Thomas, West

September 15th, 2016 at 9:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

While Robert Griffin III‘s shoulder injury serves as a significant detriment to his hopes at resurrecting his once-promising career, some with the Browns don’t view it as too damaging to their current team. With Hue Jackson focused on reprogramming Griffin into an above-average quarterback, some Browns staffers view the injury as something that can help the franchise move on and begin assessing its future at the position, Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com report.

Browns sources told the veteran reporters third-round pick Cody Kessler is “not close” to being ready to debut, and expectations for the USC product aren’t particularly high. So, as 37-year-old Josh McCown prepares to return to the starting lineup, the team will continue to scout for its future. Should Kessler make a start this season, he’ll be the franchise’s 26th starting quarterback since its 1999 rebirth. That total leads the league.

Interestingly, the new regime’s last such scouting job revealed a dislike for two of the league’s hot-starting passers, Carson Wentz and Dak Prescott, while Cleveland’s new decision-makers liked Griffin, Kessler and Jared Goff, per Schefter and Mortensen.

Here’s more from Cleveland as its football team prepares to play the old Browns in Week 2.

McCown offered a reasonable plea, per Schefter and Mortensen, against the notion the Browns should tank for 2017 this season. The veteran quarterback and second-year Brown believed the team owed it to veterans like Joe Thomas to make a legitimate effort to compete in 2016.
Thomas, meanwhile, did not push the Browns to trade him to the Broncos last season due to the loyalty they showed him since making him the No. 3 overall pick in 2007, the ESPN duo reports. The six-time All-Pro’s name could well resurface on the trade block this season if the Browns perform as they’re expected to, especially since so few veterans are going to play for them this season.
Speaking of trades, former Browns running back Terrance West asked the team to be traded before last season, West said on the BmoreOpinionated podcast (via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal). The Browns’ previous regime did end up trading West to the Titans, although it’s not known if it came as a result of the running back’s request. The current Ravens ball-carrier believes he’d still be with the Browns if he hadn’t asked to be dealt. “I think if I didn’t call for a trade, I would be still in Cleveland right now,” West said. “I was the leading rusher that year. I was the leading rusher in that preseason. I called for a trade. I didn’t think that was home for me.” West, though, saw the Titans cut him after he made only 16 rushing attempts last season. Ulrich writes attitude problems and shaky practice habits marred the former third-round pick’s time in Cleveland. He’s set to play a bigger role this season, as evidenced by the Ravens giving him 14 touches in Week 1. West rushed for 673 yards as a rookie to lead the Browns as a rookie in 2014, ahead of current starter Isaiah Crowell‘s 607.
While Jackson’s initial effort in northeast Ohio isn’t expected to go well, the first-year coach made some bold proclamations about the franchise’s future.

Extra Points: Preseason, QBs, Goldson, Kruger

August 31st, 2016 at 8:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL’s longtime format of four preseason games could be set to change as soon as next year, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports. A lot of talk’s occurred about altering the length of the preseason, with some in league circles wanting to ditch the fourth game. Pointing to the number of injuries to starter-level players that occur during meaningless contests and the public relations hits the NFL’s taken about the safety of its game, others see no reason more than two are necessary.

Additional practices, including joint workouts, are among the ways the league could bypass coaches’ concerns about not having enough evaluation time, La Canfora notes. The league remains committed to implementing a plan for a developmental league or an in-season academy that would help the lower-tier players hone their skills without having to do so for teams come August.

La Canfora believes the preseason could change as soon as next year, and be drastically different within five years, but doesn’t see a spring developmental league on the immediate horizon since the NFLPA would have to sign off on that.

Here’s more from around the league as teams get their backups ready for the final night of exhibition tilts.

Multiple quarterbacks being lost for either the season or a significant part of it has inflated the value of backups on the trade market. La Canfora notes the Buccaneers, Bengals and Browns are not likely to part with respective No. 2 signal-callers Mike Glennon, A.J. McCarron and Josh McCown for anything less than a Day 2 draft pick, with the possibility a team holds out for a first-round selection. Each team would prefer to keep their backups, La Canfora writes.
Mark Sanchez could qualify for this above discussion, though it’s highly unlikely the Broncos would receive a Day 2 pick for him with $4.5MM and just one season left on his contract. Troy Renck of Denver7 reports (on Twitter) a Sanchez resolution could come by Friday. The Broncos have engaged in efforts to try and trade Sanchez this week after naming Trevor Siemian the Week 1 starter.
Dashon Goldson‘s deal with the Falcons is a one-year, $1.5MM deal with $250K guaranteed, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter). $500K of his money is tied to per-game active bonuses.
The Saints‘ deal with Paul Kruger is a one-year, $3MM pact worth up to $5MM with incentives, a league source told ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. Before his release, he was under contract through next season at $6.5MM this year and $7MM next year with Cleveland. The Saints will have to carve out some cap space to make way for Kruger’s deal and they’ll likely do that through contract restructuring.

Zach Links contributed to this report

Browns Seeking High Draft Pick For Josh McCown

August 31st, 2016 at 2:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Should we cross another name off of the Vikings’ list of possible quarterback targets? The Browns are demanding “a high draft pick” in order to part with veteran Josh McCown, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports.

When the Cowboys were showing interest in McCown earlier this summer, it was said that the Browns were seeking a fourth-round selection while Dallas was unwilling to part with anything higher than a sixth-round choice. Neither side budged and the talks quickly cooled off. Now, it sounds like that asking price may have increased a bit.

The Browns are not inclined to trade McCown since they are worried about RGIII suffering another major injury. McCown has also been acting a mentor towards RGIII and rookie Cody Kessler. The exact asking price on McCown is unknown, but Cabot writes that it is likely more than the Vikings are willing to pay.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Cowboys’ QB Search

August 29th, 2016 at 8:59am CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys will spend the next week searching for a quarterback with Tony Romo sidelined, but any quarterback they bring in will be No. 2 on the depth chart behind Dak Prescott, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Prescott will be Dallas’ starter until Tony Romo is ready to return.

Meanwhile, it doesn’t sound like the Cowboys and Browns will get together on a Josh McCown trade (link). Apparently, between the Browns’ asking price and McCown’s salary, it’s all a little too rich for the Cowboys’ blood. Earlier this summer, it was reported that the Browns were seeking a fourth-round pick for McCown. The Cowboys, meanwhile, didn’t want to give up anything of value for the veteran signal caller and it was speculated that they would not sacrifice more than a sixth-rounder for him.

Romo suffered a compression fracture to his L1 vertebra. He will not need surgery on his back, but the 36-year-old could miss 6-10 weeks as he heals up.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Browns Want Fourth-Rounder For Josh McCown

August 13th, 2016 at 6:28pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Browns don’t appear willing to simply give away Josh McCown, as Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports indicates that Cleveland is demanding “no less than fourth-round pick” for the veteran quarterback. The Cowboys, the club that’s been most heavily linked to McCown, aren’t willing to trade “anything of value,” per Robinson, who suggests that Dallas would only part with a pick in the sixth round or later.

The Cowboys’ depth chart behind Tony Romo was already thin as the team headed into training camp, and became even more so when backup Kellen Moore suffered a leg injury during a practice session that will sideline him for three-to-four months. Dallas was thought to have interest in free agent Nick Foles before he signed with the Chiefs, and were reportedly considering other options such as Mike Glennon (who, like McCown, would’ve have to been traded for), Jimmy Clausen, and Josh Freeman.

The Browns, meanwhile, have seemingly braced McCown for a possible deal, as a report last week indicated that the club had spoken with McCown about the mechanics of a trade. Cleveland has already named Robert Griffin III its starting quarterback, and while there is certainly value in retaining a high-end reserve, the team’s reluctance to deal McCown could simply be posturing in the hopes that they can net a higher return. The Browns used a 2016 third-round pick on USC quarterback Cody Kessler, and signed fellow backup Austin Davis to an extension last season, so unless the club wants to keep four signal-callers on the roster, there doesn’t appear to be room for McCown.

While the Browns boast depth at QB, the Cowboys do not, as they only other available options behind Romo are fourth-round rookie Dak Prescott and 2015 undrafted free agent Jameill Showers, neither of whom has ever attempted an NFL pass. As such, it seems unfathomable that Dallas won’t look to acquire a veteran before the season begins, and if it looks to the free agent market, the club could consider Michael Vick, Matt Flynn, Tarvaris Jackson, Charlie Whitehurst, T.J. Yates, or a number of other players who still remain unsigned.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

North Notes: McCown, Iloka, Vikes, Lions

August 11th, 2016 at 5:24pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Interestingly, the Browns’ decision to give Robert Griffin III all of their first-team reps in training camp before naming him their starting quarterback Tuesday was backup Josh McCown‘s idea, writes Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.

“(McCown) was the guy that came to me and said, ‘Hey coach, make sure this guy gets all the reps he needs to be the best he can be,”’ said first-year Browns head coach Hue Jackson. “(He said) ‘you know who I am.’ Obviously he would love to have the job too, but I think he understands his role.”

That was an unselfish move by McCown, who was ostensibly going to compete for the No. 1 job with Griffin, the Browns’ most noteworthy offseason addition. The 37-year-old has instead served as a mentor to Griffin, 26, with Jackson saying,“A lot of him getting better has to do with Josh McCown.”

As a result of both his leadership and his status as a quality reserve, the Browns would like to retain McCown, notes Cabot, who points out that they rejected Dallas’ attempt to acquire him last week.

More from the NFL’s North-based divisions:

Before he re-signed with the Bengals for five years and $30MM in March, standout safety George Iloka considered accepting an offer from the Vikings, he said Wednesday (via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press). Joining the Vikings would’ve meant playing for head coach Mike Zimmer, whom Iloka worked under from 2012-13 when Zimmer was the Bengals’ defensive coordinator. “If I was going there, I was going because of Zim,” Iloka, 26, revealed. “I know what type of locker room he has there just by the type of coach he is. But I really wanted to come back. My chances of leaving Cincinnati weren’t too high, and I’m back.’’
The versatility of big-money offseason signing Marvin Jones, including his ability to cause damage downfield, could make him the Lions’ No. 1 receiver, says Kyle Meinke of MLive.com (video link). Whereas Golden Tate is at his best as a short- to medium-yardage option, quarterback Matthew Stafford has targeted Jones all over the field in training camp, per Meinke, who praises the 26-year-old’s route-running abilities. Fulfilling the role of a No. 1 wideout would be new for Jones, who played second fiddle to elite receiver AJ Green in Cincinnati from 2012-15. Still, Jones is fresh off a productive year (65 catches, 816 yards and four touchdowns), which led the Calvin Johnson-less Lions to award him a five-year, $40MM contract in free agency.
In an early projection of the Ravens’ 53-man roster, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun lists safety Matt Elam and inside linebacker Arthur Brown (the club’s first- and second-round picks from 2013) as players on track to miss the cut. Elam could lose his spot to Terrence Brooks, who has impressed in training camp, per Zrebiec. Notably, the Ravens declined Elam’s fifth-year option for 2017 earlier this offseason, which came after he struggled in 2014 and then missed the 2015 campaign because of a biceps tear. Releasing Elam, who also has a suspension in his past, would save Baltimore $1.33MM. The club would free up less than $900K by parting with Brown, who has amassed just 17 tackles and a half-sack in 34 games (zero starts).
In case you missed it, scouting guru Dave-Te Thomas ran down which Bears rookies could make impacts this year.

Extra Points: Cowboys, McCown, Titans, Pats

August 5th, 2016 at 8:41pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The latest from a few NFL cities as Hall of Fame weekend begins…

As was reported Thursday, the backup quarterback-needy Cowboys are reluctant to meet the Browns’ relatively lofty asking price for Josh McCown. It’s possible the two will eventually agree to a deal, though, and with that in mind, the Browns have talked to McCown about a possible trade, per Ed Werder of ESPN.com. Cleveland would prefer to keep McCown, but it hasn’t made the 37-year-old any promises (Twitter link).
The Cowboys’ lack of cap space might preclude them from acquiring McCown, notes David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. Giving up a draft pick for McCown, who has a $5MM-plus cap hit each of the next two seasons, would knock the Cowboys’ spending space down to $500K. To soften the financial blow, Dallas could include a member of its roster in a McCown trade, release one or two players it would like to keep, or restructure the quarterback’s deal. None of those are ideal options, as Moore points out, which is why the team is biding its time as it scans for depth under center in the wake of Kellen Moore‘s broken ankle.
Wide receiver Andre Johnson‘s two-year deal with the Titans is easy for the team to escape after 2016, reports Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com. The contract includes base salaries of $985K and $2MM, and it features a $500K roster bonus due on the third day of the 2017 league year. Johnson will also have a chance to earn $250K in per-game active bonuses (Twitter links), though his pact with Tennessee doesn’t contain any guaranteed money, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
The league has suspended Titans safety Marqueston Huff for Week 1 because of a substance abuse violation, Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk writes. Huff has appeared in 30 of 32 regular-season games and made one start since the Titans selected him in the fourth round of the 2014 draft. Most of Huff’s impact has come on special teams, where he participated in 80.8 percent of the Titans’ snaps in 2015.
The Patriots worked out receiver Cobi Hamilton on Thursday, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets. Hamilton ended up signing with Pittsburgh on Friday.
In case you missed it, the Cardinals awarded extensions to franchise linchpins Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald on Friday. The Saints agreed to a deal with four-time Pro Bowl fullback John Kuhn.

Zach Links contributed to this post.