Denver Broncos: Josh McCown a solid option at quarterback
By Nick Ziegler
The Denver Broncos have a need at the quarterback position, and Josh McCown may be a solid option for them.
The Broncos have had a difficult offseason since winning the Super Bowl, as shortly after Peyton Manning retired, Brock Osweiler signed with the Houston Texans. The departure of Osweiler was a surprising one for the Broncos, as they envisioned him as the successor to Manning.
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John Elway has been put in a very difficult position now with no starting quarterback for next season, but he is exploring all options to try and help the Broncos make it back to the Super Bowl. A few weeks ago, the Broncos acquired Mark Sanchez from the Philadelphia Eagles, who is currently the starting quarterback of the team.
Sanchez has been the backup in Philadelphia the past few seasons, but he was a starter with the New York Jets for four seasons. Sanchez was the quarterback for the Jets when they made it to back-to-back AFC Championships, but he never really played well in his time in New York.
With the Jets, Sanchez totaled 68 touchdown passes and 69 interceptions, as the touchdown to turnover ratio was an awful one for him with the Jets. Sanchez was slightly better at protecting the football as a backup for the Eagles, as he had 18 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions.
The Broncos can’t have much confidence in Sanchez to be their starter, which explains the heavy interest they have shown in San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback, Colin Kaepernick. A deal with the 49ers seems unlikely as of now, as Kaepernick doesn’t appear to be interested in taking a pay cut to be traded to the Broncos.
With a deal for Kaepernick unlikely, the Broncos have shifted their focus to Josh McCown according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. McCown has bounced around in his 14-year NFL career, but in recent years, he has shown signs that he can be a serviceable starter. With the Chicago Bears in 2013, McCown totaled 13 touchdown passes and one interception in eight games.
The solid performance with the Bears in 2013 led to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers making McCown their starter in 2014, but he was unable to replicate his production for the Buccaneers. Before having his season cut short because of mainly a broken collarbone towards the end of the season, McCown was playing well on a poor Browns team, as he totaled 12 touchdown passes and four interceptions.
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The Browns decided to take a chance on Robert Griffin III this offseason, and also are still expected to be drafting a quarterback in the first round. If the Browns do elect to draft a quarterback in addition to signing Griffin, McCown will surely be made available for the Broncos to either trade for, or sign the veteran.
Denver still as some great weapons on offense for whoever their starting quarterback is in 2016, as either Sanchez or possibly McCown would love throwing it to Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. With options rather thin for the Broncos, acquiring McCown would be a solid option to give Sanchez a fight for the starting job.