BEREA: The phone of Browns quarterback Josh McCown has been blowing up because he hails from East Texas and his relatives want to know if the Dallas Cowboys will trade for him.
If McCown were dealt, the Cowboys would be a nice fit because of the hometown angle. However, he’d rather just stay put in Northeast Ohio. His wife, Natalie, and their four children live in Charlotte, N.C., a short flight from Cleveland.
“The Cowboys, if you grew up in Texas, is near and dear to everybody’s heart,” McCown, who has worn No. 12 in the past because he admires Roger Staubach, said Thursday before the sixth practice of training camp. “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.
“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. You spend five minutes in this city, and it’s easy to be all in because of how the people feel about this team.”
The Cowboys have expressed interest in dealing for McCown, people familiar with the situation confirmed for the Beacon Journal. One of the sources expressed doubt about a deal between the Browns and Cowboys coming to fruition.
ESPN reported the Browns prefer to keep McCown, so they set a high asking price that the Cowboys have rejected for now.
“There’s nothing to it as far as we’re concerned,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said Thursday. “I’ve heard about it. Obviously, I have. But I feel good that he’s here. He’s a Cleveland Brown, and I know nothing else about the other part of it.”
McCown, 37, said the Browns’ front office has kept him informed about the trade talks.
“We’ll just leave it at that,” he said. “We’re on the same page.”
Added Jackson: “We’re very forthcoming. At the end, we’re always going to do what’s best for us, but in respect to the player.”
The Cowboys have targeted McCown because Kellen Moore, their primary backup to quarterback Tony Romo, suffered a broken right fibula Tuesday. They have rookie fourth-round pick Dak Prescott, but he’s deemed a long way from being ready to start. The Cowboys wanted to sign Nick Foles as a free agent, but he struck a deal Wednesday with the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Browns have given all of their first-team snaps to Robert Griffin III and all of their second-team reps to McCown since camp began last week. So it’s just a matter of time until Jackson formally names Griffin, 26, the franchise’s 25th starting quarterback since 1999. Jackson said Tuesday he’s close to making an official decision.
Still, McCown insisted he won’t push for a trade and doesn’t envision his stance changing.
“That’s not how I choose to operate,” McCown said. “I’m on this team for a reason.”
McCown would be the Browns’ top backup if they keep him. Although he went 1-7 as a starter last season, he played much better than his record suggests, throwing 12 touchdown passes and four interceptions and posting a passer rating of 93.3. He also played through broken ribs before a broken collarbone ended his season in late November.
“He has tremendous value, and I think he’s one of the leaders of our team, so having him the locker room is a great thing,” right guard John Greco said. “But with that aside, [there’s also] the business end of it, so I can just only hope he’s with us.”
So what’s the case for trading McCown?
The Browns would be off the hook for his $4.375 million salary this year and the $3.625 million he would be owed in 2017. He signed a three-year, $14 million contract with the Browns in February 2015. The new regime loves draft picks and would presumably add to its stockpile. Also, the franchise is in the midst of a massive rebuild and youth movement.
And the case against it?
There’s a noticeable drop-off between him and the Browns’ other backup quarterbacks, rookie third-round pick Cody Kessler and Austin Davis. At this point, McCown is by far the best of the three. He might even be better than Griffin, whose long injury history increases the importance of his backup. McCown is also one of the best teammates and locker-room presences in recent Browns history.
“He’s a resource to every guy in the locker room regardless of position,” wide receiver Andrew Hawkins said. “He really does an incredible job in that role.”
Although Jackson has said McCown’s knack for mentoring won’t solely allow him to stay on the team, Jackson credited him with helping Griffin become a better leader this offseason.
“He’s doing everything he can every day to be the No. 1 guy,” Greco said of McCown. “But at the same time, he’s not going to just shun Robert. He’s going to help him.”
So despite his uncertain future with the Browns, McCown has vowed to continue pushing Griffin to improve and preparing himself as long as he’s in Cleveland.
“This can be a distraction,” he said. “But you can, I think, harness it and use it for good because you can really work on focusing on what you’ve got to do at practice and really zoom in and block those other things out.”
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.