Cleveland Browns: Ranking every starting QB since 1999
Luke McCown, 2004
Throughout his long NFL career, Luke McCown has proven that he is the epitome of a career backup quarterback. With this in mind, it is a safe assumption to make that McCown felt right at home during his 2004 rookie season with Cleveland.
This isn’t to criticize the journeyman, as there have been worse quarterbacks who have played for the Browns, believe it or not, but his four starts with the team were not exactly anything to write home about, as no Cleveland victories were achieved.
Unlike many of the quarterbacks on this list, McCown was actually drafted by the Browns in the fourth round of the 2004 draft. However, similar to many on this list, this quarterback’s Cleveland career was limited to a single season. Playing in five games and starting four, McCown completed 48 of 98 pass attempts, throwing for four touchdowns and seven interceptions. After the season, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Later in his career, McCown would eventually have a small amount of success during his time with the Buccaneers, Jaguars, Falcons and Saints. His rookie season laid the foundation for an NFL career, even though it was a miserable one by typical standards. McCown wasn’t very good to say the least, but he did only play one season in Cleveland, his rookie season, and had almost absolutely no hope of having a productive season considering the team that surrounded him.
Next: No. 18: Austin Davis