Browns quarterback Josh McCown is high on the Cowboys' list of possible replacements for Kellen Moore. The Browns like McCown a lot, but would be willing to deal him for the right compensation.
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BEREA, Ohio -- Josh McCown grew up dreaming of playing for his hometown Cowboys and wearing Roger Staubach's No. 12. But now that the Cowboys are interested in trading for him, the thought of leaving the Browns is making him blue.
"Obviously the Cowboys, if you grew up in Texas, is near and dear to everybody's heart,'' McCown said Thursday before practice in regards to possibly becoming the Cowboys' answer to backup Kellen Moore's broken fibula. "But once you cross over into the business portion of this life, those allegiances kind of fly out the window and you have a job to do.
"For me, my job and my heart is here and doing everything I can to help the Cleveland Browns be good. So that's what I'm about. And like I've told you guys before, you spend five minutes in this city and it's easy to be all-in, because of how the people feel about this team.''
McCown, 37, acknowledged that he's talked to the Browns front office about the trade talk, and "we'll just leave it at that. We're on the same page.''
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Based on his desire to stay here, McCown likely made that clear to the powers that be. But whether or not they honor those wishes will depend on what they can get in return. If the Browns -- who are in the business of stockpiling picks -- can get a third-rounder or higher for him, they'd likely seriously consider it.
But McCown has come to love it here, and would like to stay. It's only an hour's flight from his home in Charlotte, N.C., where his wife Natalie, and their four kids, who live year-round because of school. He's also developed close relationships with his teammates and he's developed close relationships with his teammates and coaches.
"Just being in the organization with the people here, with my teammates that are here, having spent a year with Joe Thomas and (Andrew Hawkins) and (John Greco) and these guys -- great relationships,'' he said. "So all of that is nice and it's neat, especially being from Texas, but at the same time, this is where my focus is.''
McCown, who's set to lose the quarterback competition soon to Robert Griffin III, said this round of What About Your Future Here isn't much different than the others.
"No, other than just my phone, friends and family just blowing me up, asking me about it all the time,'' he said. "I'm just coming to work and it's business as usual for me. I come to work and I'm worrying about the checks that we have today in practice and the two-minute drill that we're going to do today in practice.''
McCown acknowledged that the uncertainty is factor.
"You can't fake what's going on right now,'' he said. "This can be a distraction, but you can harness it and use it for good because you can really work on focusing on what you've got to do at practice today and really zoom in on these things and block those other things out."
McCown, who's held in high regard by Hue Jackson and has had a positive impact on Robert Griffin III, hasn't been given any assurances by the Browns that he'll make the team. Still, he'd rather stay and take his chances.
"I reconcile that in my mind through as a person of faith, 'hey this is the day right in front of me,''' he said. "I'm going to live that out as best I can and then move on to the next day, so I just believe God's got the rest of that and that will sort itself out the way it's supposed to. That's not always easy. It's not always comfortable, but for me that's the best because it (causes) me to lean on my faith, and in that I'll find peace, and because of that I'll be a better husband, father, teammate, all of those things.''
McCown said he has no plans to try to control the outcome of his situation.
"My role is to go out and play as good a football as I can and to help the guys around me do that as well,'' he said. "It's tough when you have some of these things going on, have some of this noise going on. But it's a great opportunity to just exercise mental focus and toughness and to be able to go out and do your job.
If the Cowboys trade for McCown, 37, they'd assume the remainder of his two-year salary, which is $4.375 million this season and $3.625 million next season. They're believed to have others on their radar, including Tampa Bay's Mike Glennon and Josh Freeman. Question is, would they want to give up more than a fourth-rounder for a backup? If not, they might not be able to pull off a deal with the Browns.
But of all the available quarterbacks, McCown gives them one of the best chances to win if Tony Romo goes down. Having learned so many offenses in his 13 years, he can step in and pick up their scheme right away.
Last season, he finished 14th in the NFL with a 93.3 rating before a season-ending broken collarbone. He became the first Browns quarterback to throw for 300 yards in three straight games, and set the single game club record with 457 yards passing. He went 1-7 on a horrible Browns team, but wasn't the reason they lost. He had no running game to speak of for the first 12 games, and an underperforming defense.
Jackson praised McCown's mentoring skills on Tuesday, but acknowledged it might be enough to keep him around as the backup in the final analysis. The Browns also have rookie Cody Kessler and fifth-year pro Austin Davis behind Griffin.
But McCown's impact on Griffin getting his teammates behind him can't be discounted. What's more, he's like another coach on the field for most of his offensive teammates.
"Obviously, (McCown and Griffin have) shared different thoughts on things that we've gone through and anytime you're a teammate of somebody, you want to share your experience and what you've gone through,'' McCown said. "Not just on the field, but just in life in general because you spend so much time with one another, you want them to have the healthiest experience in life they can.''
Whether or not he'll have a chance to continue remains to be seen.
