Cleveland Browns: The strange Josh McCown signing

When it was first reported that the Cleveland Browns signed quarterback Josh McCown to a three-year deal worth $15 million, I think many people spit coffee on their computers and laughed. As TheBigLead.com’s Jason McIntyre put it:

Brian Hoyer is not a legitimate starting quarterback, and he proved it with his lack of accuracy and the fact that he played so poorly down the stretch of the regular season that he forced the Browns to bench him in favor of Johnny Manziel. He’s shown that he doesn’t have the physical tools or the consistency required to be a legit starter, but he has shown that he has the confidence and anticipation to be a semi-respectable stopgap/backup.

Josh McCown showed those traits in an exceptional 2013 season under Marc Trestman, buoyed by the elite WR duo of Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. Blessed with Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson while with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, McCown couldn’t move the ball behind one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines, throwing more picks than TDs with a paltry 56.3% completion percentage to his name.

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By all accounts, the Browns just got older at the quarterback position, and they are spending $5 million per season on someone who offers no upside and is very likely a downgrade on Hoyer, based on how both QBs performed in 2014. Perhaps McCown can turn things around behind a much better offensive line, but he’ll also have to cross his fingers and hope that the Browns give him a legit No. 1 receiver in addition to underrated slot hand Andrew Hawkins.

There are worse signings, but it’s scary how much the Browns prioritized McCown over Hoyer. Maybe they’ll come out of this looking good, but it’s hard to trust that the Browns put together a solid deal from a financial perspective. After all, other teams, most namely the QB-desperate Buffalo Bills, were competing for McCown’s signature, so, given how little anybody can trust the Browns as an organization, it’s entirely possible that they overpaid by not giving themselves enough “outs” should a 35-plus-year-old QB flop quickly in his new deal.

I look at this Browns team, and basically their only hope for a season above mediocrity is for Manziel to quickly and surprisingly turn things around, which is something they can’t count on. Maybe they draft a QB and give up on Manziel after one season, but does anyone believe that Jimmy Haslam will be willing to do that? After all, he seems to be smitten with the guy and clearly helped orchestrate the decision to pull him in the first round.

The Cleveland Browns knew they needed to add a reliable stopgap, so why were they so reluctant to re-sign Hoyer after he did a credible job of moving the offense for most of the season? It’s not like he had much to work with, since Josh Gordon was sadly doing what he’s done for most of his career and Jordan Cameron was not himself due to concussions and a shoulder injury.

Instead, the Browns decided to sign Josh McCown to a quizzical three-year contract, and the $5 million per year means that he’s paid more than Michael Vick, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Mark Sanchez, Shaun Hill, and Drew Stanton. You could argue that McCown is better than all of those guys, but these QBs make at least $1 million less per season with everyone but the first two names making less than $3 million per year.

Again, we don’t know the full value of the contract and how the guarantees affect things, but it’s fair to assume that the Browns were forced to give something of significance to McCown up front due to the overall cost of the contract, the other teams interested in him, and the fact that teams are going to overpay for quarterback this offseason given the completely barren nature of the position’s market this offseason.

Since the Browns can’t count on anything from Manziel in 2014, McCown is now the assumed starter. Unlike his situation in Tampa Bay, wide receiver- and not the offensive line- is the main concern, and that will need to be shored up in order for their veteran stopgap to keep this offense afloat. Manziel is the only guy who gives the Browns any sort of upside, but since they can’t expect anything from him, they’ll have to hope McCown can make good on what is likely an overpayment on the Browns part.

The fact that the Browns signed McCown as their stopgap isn’t the huge issue here, since it’s entirely plausible to think he’ll be better than Hoyer, since he’s a more accurate QB and a better decision-maker. However, the problem is the three-year, $15 million figure which might not be softened by other news related to the contract. We’ll see if McCown ends up being Manziel’s stopgap next season, because the “draft a QB” rumblings won’t be going anytime soon.

Next: Examining Mariota as an option for Cleveland

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