The Cleveland Browns confirmed on Tuesday night what man in and around the NFL had already concluded - quarterback Josh McCown is done for the season. Browns head coach Mike Pettine told reporters on a conference call that McCown did indeed suffer a broken collarbone and will subsequently be placed on season-ending injured reserve, as noted by ESPN's Adam Schefter.
McCown, a veteran journeyman's veteran journeyman, was thrust back into the Browns' starting role and the NFL spotlight after former first-round pick Johnny Manziel, dubbed the starter by Pettine for the remainder of the season after he put together a strong effort against the Pittsburgh Steelers, was seen in a video taken over Cleveland's bye week drinking and partying in Austin, Texas.
Manziel had spent several weeks this offseason attending a rehab facility as he attempted to get his life and his professional career back in some semblance of order. Unfortunately, the video, coupled with Manziel reportedly instructing friends to lie about it and his whereabouts during that week - a week in which the Browns were said to have asked Manziel to lay low - put McCown back into the driver's seat and sent Manziel back to the bench.
But now, with McCown done for the season after a collarbone injury suffered during the fourth quarter of the Browns' heartbreaking, last-play 33-27 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, it could potentially mean another chance, in a long list of second and third chances, for Manziel.
Per ESPN, Pettine did not name a starting quarterback and did not rule out the potential addition of another player. McCown is in the first years of a three-year contract. It carries a $2.3 million dead cap hit for next season, so it's likely that the 36-year-old McCown will be back for at least one more year with the team.
The same can't be said of Manziel, whose future - immediate and long-term - remains cloudy.
