The Cleveland Browns are casting a wide net in their search for a quarterback, entering the offseason with a ton of uncertainty at the position. Last year's starter Brian Hoyer is set to hit free agency in March, and backup Johnny Manziel followed up his dismal rookie campaign on the field by checking himself into a rehab facility in late January.
Browns’ quarterback search continues with visit from Josh McCown
Cleveland still hasn’t met with last year’s starter Brian Hoyer.
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Head coach Mike Pettine told reporters at the NFL Combine that it’s “probably accurate” that the team is looking for someone to compete with Manziel for the starting position.
The Browns spent the past two days meeting with free agent QB Josh McCown, who was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this month. The veteran signal caller instantly became one of the more attractive options in a weak quarterback market, although he was arguably one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL last season. He has also had visits with the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and Chicago Bears.
McCown went 1-10 as a starter with Tampa Bay in 2014, completing 184 of 327 passes for 2,206 yards, 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. His completion percentage (56.3 percent) and yards per attempt (6.8) both ranked 31st out of 33 qualifying quarterbacks, and only Blake Bortles had a worse passer rating than McCown (70.5) last season.
Despite those ugly numbers, the 35-year-old has had some success in the league. In 2013, he completed 66.5 percent of his passes with 13 touchdowns and one interception in eight games for the Bears, finishing with the best Total QBR (85.1) among quarterbacks with at least 200 attempts. McCown also has ties to Cleveland, starting nine games for the Oakland Raiders in 2007 when new Browns offensive coordinator John DeFilippo was the quarterbacks coach.
The Browns were expected to meet with Hoyer’s representatives last week at the Combine, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, but that meeting apparently has not happened yet. Hoyer’s agent, Joe Linta, told ESPN.com’s Pat McManamon that there is mutual interest between his client and the team in getting together to discuss a potential return to the Browns.
“I know Ray and Brian want to get together,” Linta said. “Ray is very busy. I’m sure Ray will find the time between now and the start of free agency. Once those two get together we can move forward. Brian definitely knows how the coaching staff feels.”
When asked whether Hoyer wanted to come back, Linta noted only that Hoyer “is excited about the possibility of staying” in Cleveland.
Hoyer had a strong start to the 2014 season in leading the Browns to a 7-4 record, but really struggled down the stretch. He threw nine interceptions and completed less than 50 percent of his passes in his final five games as Cleveland finished with a losing record (7-9) for the seventh straight year.
Even with his solid numbers over the first few months, Hoyer finished the season among the league’s worst signal callers, and his stats were eerily similar to McCown’s. His passer rating (76.5) ranked just ahead of the former Bucs quarterback, while his completion percentage (55.3 percent) was slightly lower.
Whether McCown represents an upgrade over Hoyer is unclear, but what is certain is that the Browns once again are searching for a quarterback to lead the team in 2015.
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