The Cleveland Browns continue to try and find some kind of consistency at the quarterback position. Josh McCown was supposed to be the driving force this year and instead he has been dealing with several injuries including one heading in Week 10. There is also plenty of doubt surrounding whether or not the future is Johnny Manziel or someone else. With several quarterbacks preparing to be available this offseason, will the Browns explore the market?
According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, the Browns are a team that would explore a deal for Matthew Stafford as many believe he could be the first out of Detroit when the team rebuilds. With a salary that has him earning $20 million in a season, Stafford is not the easiest player to take on. However, Cole believes the Lions could sell low on the quarterback and he could potentially only cost the Browns a few low-round draft picks. Stafford is a good quarterback in a bad situation right now. Of course he has had his issues, but acquiring him gives the Browns a quarterback that will not be questioned when inserted immediately as the starter.
If the Browns are in fact willing to look at a trade for Stafford like Cole reports, they could take a look at other options. According to NFL.com, everyone from Mike Glennon to Zach Mettenberger and Colin Kaepernick could be available for deals. Sam Bradford and Kirk Cousins, two quarterbacks the Browns have shown interest in the past, will be available via free agency. The team has options if Manziel and McCown are not the long-term favorites.
In the short-term, McCown is expected to start Week 10 despite the shoulder injury holding him back. Head coach Mike Pettine told Jeff Schudel of the News-Herald, that McCown's shoulder is sore but functional and while he has not named an official starter for Week 10, he expects to play the veteran is fully healthy. Last week the Browns started Manziel under center as McCown was not healthy and the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals got the best of him. Now the Browns seem more comfortable starting the half-healthy McCown over the second-year quarterback.
McCown is not the long-term option at the position. He was merely brought on as a stop-gap player. The issue is that Manziel has not improved enough to show that he can be the long-term option for Pettine and company. Pettine told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he will not start younger players just to see where the talent level is at, so Manziel might not see the field against this year which certainly hurts his future.
