Josh McCown: I want to compete to be the Cleveland Browns QB

Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown wants to remain with the team and do what he can to help out.

While many expect that his days as a Cleveland Brown are numbered, veteran quarterback Josh McCown still wants the opportunity to compete for the team’s starting quarterback job.

And even if it is just in a backup role, McCown is still ready to help out where he can with the Browns.

“Right now, it’s come in and compete and show up, so that’s what I’ll do,” McCown told PFT Live. “If that changes, that changes, and I’ll go to that next place and compete there as well. . . . I’ll go with that mindset, and if they see differently and I am traded or moved along, I’ll appreciate my time there and then go embrace the next opportunity.

Related: Josh McCown must be kept for 2016

“The Browns’ quarterback woes have been well documented. For us to put a good quarterback on the field who can be productive and help our team win, that’s our ultimate goal.” – Josh McCown

“You want to compete and you want to have a shot to play, and so if a guy comes in and he’s perceived to be the starter, as a competitor, you don’t like that, But at the same time, understand that when you go through a coaching change and a restructuring of the organization, they’re going to do whatever they can to help this football team be better.

“And so as a Cleveland Brown, I’m all for that and I’m behind that 100 percent, so we welcome Robert into the quarterback room as a part of our team, and I’ll do everything I can to help Robert.”

While it seems unlikely that the Browns will keep McCown on the roster for the 2016 season, having him around wouldn’t be the worst idea to come out of Berea. The value that McCown brings to the team from Monday through Saturday can’t be understated, especially if the Browns pull the trigger on drafting a quarterback with the second overall selection of the 2016 NFL Draft.

It’s nice that newly signed quarterback Robert Griffin III said he is willing to mentor a rookie quarterback, but he hasn’t seen as much in his career as McCown. In addition, Griffin needs to focus on showing the Browns and the NFL that he is still a viable starting quarterback, so how much time he has to actually work with a young quarterback is somewhat debatable.

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That extends to the coaching staff as well. If head coach Hue Jackson and assistant head coach-offense Pep Hamilton are serious about rebuilding Griffin’s game, it is fair to wonder how much time they will have left over to develop the team’s rookie quarterback, which is where having McCown around could prove useful.

McCown took more than his share of abuse in 2015, primarily from that segment of Browns fans who thought that having a circus clown – rather than an actual NFL quarterback – line up under center was the way to go. But if he hadn’t missed eight games with injuries, McCown would have posted the best season by a Cleveland quarterback since the team returned in 1999.

As it was, he still finished with the highest quarterback rating of any of Cleveland’s 24 quarterbacks since 1999 (93.3) and the third-highest completion percentage (63.7).

The Browns already made the one off-season move guaranteed to improve the quarterback position when they released Johnny Manziel earlier this month.

Being open to keeping McCown on the roster for the 2016 season may prove to be another step in the right direction.