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Cleveland Browns: Hello Josh McCown, Goodbye Brian Hoyer

By CJ Oliver

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On  Friday, the Cleveland Browns announced they agreed to terms with former Chicago Bear and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh McCown. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports announced the details of the deal on Twitter.

Nice haul indeed for a career journeyman who is in the spotlight only due to his 2013 season, in which he threw 13 touchdowns over eight games and amassed a 109.0 quarterback rating in relief of an injured Jay Cutler. Aside from that high watermark, the rest of McCown’s career has been pedestrian at best.

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The signing of McCown essentially closes the book on Brian Hoyer‘s tenure in Cleveland.  Hoyer was the first Browns quarterback with a winning record since 1999, posting a 10-7 mark in the 17 games that he started for the team. He’s the only one with a winning record out of a list of 21 players, a list that includes Josh McCown’s younger brother, Luke.

Brian Hoyer is a 29-year-old Cleveland native and a popular player with teammates. Josh McCown is an almost 36-year-old outsider who spent part of last year on the bench with a thumb injury and underperformed when he was on the field. McCown was also one of a handful of quarterbacks who put up worse numbers than Hoyer in 2014, as documented by ESPN.com. McCown’s QBR added up to 35.7 compared to Hoyer’s 43.1.

Dec 7, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer (6) and quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) stretch before a game against the Indianapolis Colts at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports

With these facts in mind it’s completely fair to wonder, why on earth would the Browns choose an older player with no connection to the team over someone they could re-sign, someone who is familiar with the organization and was more successful in the system than 20 of his predecessors?

The answer to this question will be debated through the offseason. McCown has been nothing more than a solid backup throughout his career and there’s no reason to expect he can do more than start a few games for you or fill in for relief. McCown did work with Browns new offensive coordinator John DeFillippo when both were members of the Raiders. Does this one year of familiarity with the offensive coordinator trump Hoyer’s two years with the whole team?

Apparently so.

Sep 14, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine celebrates with quarterback Brian Hoyer (6) after beating New Orleans Saints 26-24 at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports

Andrew Gribble of ClevelandBrowns.com reported head coach Mike Pettine’s explanation of the signing, “Josh is a high-character, savvy, veteran quarterback that has a lot to offer to our team. When you hear from people that have been around Josh, they speak of the leadership qualities and the positive impact he has on a locker room. I really enjoyed spending time with him during his visit. He has great passion for playing the quarterback position and wants to show that he can still be successful in this league.”

If you substitute Hoyer’s name for McCown’s, it sounds like a statement that could be written about both of them.

Whatever rationale you want to make about the transaction, it seems clear that the Browns are looking for a reliable bridge to the next quarterback with possible upside, and they’ve decided it’s not Hoyer. Jared Mueller of Dawg Pound Daily goes into some of the reasons why this isn’t a disastrous move.

But despite other positive signs for the future of the organization, I find it difficult to see this move as a good idea. Perhaps it’s me who is sentimentally attached to Hoyer, for the brief joy and success he brought the organization, for the feel-good story of local boy makes good. Perhaps I’m just looking at the age difference and the stat differences and saying that the numbers support keeping Hoyer, despite whatever intangibles the team is aware of. Perhaps someone like McCown, who is reportedly eager to mentor Johnny Manziel versus winning the starting job himself, is a better fit for the future of the team.

We’ll have to wait and see, but personally, I’ll be sad to see Brian Hoyer leave.

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