5 best backup quarterbacks in Cleveland Browns history

4. Josh McCown (2015-2016)

When the Browns decided to move on from Brian Hoyer ahead of the 2015 season, their plan was to start Johnny Manziel — but Manziel had other plans. His focus was never on the game itself, so McCown wound up starting in Week 1 of the season against the New York Jets.

In that game, McCown was lit up at the end of a run and fumbled the ball. The play has lived on in infamy and is known as the "helicopter fumble." It also sidelined him for a couple of games as Manziel got another chance to screw up — which he did.

McCown returned to the field in Week 3 and threw for 341 yards in a loss to Oakland. He followed that up with 356 yards against the Chargers and 457 yards against the Ravens in a 33-30 win. In all, he started eight games for the Browns that season, and this was the only win he had.

That remained true in 2016 when he was a backup to Robert Griffin III and Cody Kessler. Cleveland ended up going 1-15 that year and McCown was the starter for three of those losses.

Despite going 1-10 as a starter, McCown was a fan favorite. He threw for 3,209 yards with 18 touchdowns and added another on the ground. If the talent around him was better, he surely would have been a successful quarterback. Unfortunately, he never seemed to be on a team that had much talent, even when he wasn't in Cleveland.