Browns Should Reunite with Former Starting QB, 3rd-Round Pick

The Cleveland Browns let quarterback Joe Flacco leave town without a deal following his workout Friday, opening the door for another free agent of note to fill the void Deshaun Watson left behind.

Cleveland selected Colt McCoy with the No. 85 pick in the third-round of the 2010 NFL Draft. McCoy started 21 games for the Browns over the next two years before moving into a backup role for the 2012 campaign. The organization traded McCoy to the San Francisco 49ers in April 2013 and he’s been playing in different uniforms ever since, primarily as a second-string option.

Now, at 37 years old, McCoy again makes sense in the Browns locker room — first as a backup to Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and possibly also as a veteran starter in games with playoff implications down the line should the rookie prove unready to take the reins.

Joe Flacco Remains Browns’ Top Choice Over Colt McCoy, Other Options

Flacco was the only quarterback to work out with Cleveland on Friday and remains the team’s “primary target,” per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

 

“Updated: Joe Flacco left Cleveland without a deal after working out for the #Browns on Friday, but he could still become their 3rd QB soon,” Cabot posted to X on Friday. “They’ll add one [quarterback] to the active roster or practice squad by next week, and he’s their primary target.”

When comparing the balance of each player’s career, Flacco is the clearly superior option over McCoy. He is 99-81 as an NFL starter and won Super Bowl MVP following the 2012 campaign. However, the two QB’s respective productivity over the past several seasons tells something of a different story.

Flacco most recently played for the New York Jets, starting four games in 2022 and earning a 1-3 win/loss record. Flacco is a combined 1-8 across three years in New York and owns an overall mark of 3-14 since parting with the Baltimore Ravens — with whom he had the best years of his career — following the 2018 campaign.

McCoy is just one year Flacco’s junior but has been a better bet as a starter since 2019. He owns a record of 4-5 over that span across stints with the Washington Commanders, New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals.

McCoy has been a more accurate passer than Flacco since 2019, albeit on fewer attempts, while Flacco has a meaningful edge in touchdown-to-interception ratio.

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Other NFL Teams Have Shown Interest in Colt McCoy this Season

 

The Minnesota Vikings hosted a workout for McCoy in October following a back injury suffered by then-backup QB Nick Mullens, though never ended up signing him. Minnesota went on to trade with the Cardinals to acquire Josh Dobbs, who took over McCoy’s role as understudy to the injured Kyler Murray in Arizona just ahead of the 2023 campaign.

Interest in McCoy by other playoff-caliber teams around the NFL bears consideration when it comes to Cleveland offering him a shot to earn a roster spot. However, others are worth considering as well.

Former regular-season MVPs Matt Ryan and Cam Newton have both expressed interest in playing in 2023, and both remain available in free agency. John Breech of CBS Sports pitched Tom Brady as an option for Cleveland earlier this week, as the Browns boast the league’s top-rated defense and second-rated rush offense heading into Week 11.

Whoever the organization ultimately lands on, that person won’t join the team for several days. That means Thompson-Robinson and former third-string quarterback P.J. Walker will be forced to carry the load as the Browns host the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday afternoon.