The Browns drafted Oklahoma State QB Brandon Weeden at No. 22 overall and could be looking to shop Colt McCoy.
Cleveland Brown quarterback Colt McCoy could be wearing a different jersey this season. The Green Bay Packers may be interested in picking up McCoy as Aaron Rodgers' back up.The Cleveland Browns are giving quarterback Colt McCoy the runaround, and they may be about to run him out of town.
According to ESPN, the Browns told McCoy they wouldn't take a quarterback to potentially compete with him for the starting job in the first round of Thursday's 2012 NFL Draft. They didn't follow through on that promise, however, with their selection of Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden at No. 22 overall.
The report comes on the heels of Browns general manager Tom Heckert suggesting Thursday night that, in the wake of the Weeden pick, McCoy could be traded by the end of the three-day draft weekend.
"It's something we'll talk about tonight and tomorrow," Heckert said.
The Browns' brass had been following a company line through the early offseason by stating their commitment to McCoy as their top quarterback for 2012. Their actions, however, have spoken a lot louder, and it's evident they prefer what Weeden can do in his rookie year to what McCoy has done in his first two seasons.
It also is clear Weeden (6-foot-4, 221 pounds) comes equipped with a stronger, more accurate arm. While Weeden's age (28) isn't much of a short-term obstacle, McCoy's arm strength and size (6-2, 209) have been concerns since he was selected in the third round of the 2010 draft (No. 85 overall). Weeden stands 6-4, 221 pounds.
McCoy has won six of his 21 starts, with an even touchdown-to-interception ratio (20-20). Although his mobility has helped him in the Browns’ short-to-intermediate passing game, there have been frustrations over their big-play limitations.
Other than Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas, McCoy hasn't had much help to that end. The team has no established wideouts or a dominant receiving tight end. Running back was an injury mess last season, which prompted the Browns to take Trent Richardson No. 3 overall Thursday.
Even though they didn't make their master plan known to McCoy, as the only AFC North team not to make the playoffs last season, the Browns wisely realized they needed an extreme offensive makeover. It started with not bringing back Peyton Hillis and could end with McCoy being shipped to another team.
So where might McCoy land? It needs to be a team that operates a West Coast-style passing offense. According to PackerReport.com, the Green Bay Packers are considering a trade for him. The Packers lost Aaron Rodgers' backup when Matt Flynn signed a free-agent deal with the Seattle Seahawks.
The Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals all are armed with talented passers and several good skill players to support those quarterbacks in a competitive AFC North division. The Richardson-Weeden combination gives the Browns a chance to compete, and there's no point in keeping McCoy when the Browns have no intention of starting him.