How a Colt McCoy Trade to the Green Bay Packers Would Benefit Everyone

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Colt McCoy to the Green Bay Packers is a much better all-encompassed trade idea once we dive into it.

Plus, ESPN's Adam Schefter is a believer as well. Per Jamison Hensley of ESPN via Shefter:

If I were the Packers, I'd be on the phone right now, offering a fifth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for Colt McCoy, who some teams around the league really like. Cleveland would be willing to deal McCoy for the right price, no matter what it says, and the Packers could use McCoy as much as any team in the league right about now.

Regardless of whether or not this happens obviously remains to be seen. However, a hypothetical approach is intriguing nonetheless.

With that, let's sink our teeth into how this deal would work for all parties involved.

Packers Get an Experienced Backup

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Right now, the Green Bay Packers need a backup who doesn't need to be molded from the beginning.

By no means is Colt McCoy a well-polished NFL quarterback, but his experience under center alone puts him ahead of the curve when compared to the Pack's second/third stringers.

Graham Harrell has zero regular season experience; however, he is eerily similar in size to McCoy. And although B.J. Coleman provides a stronger arm and size, he's still a rookie.

Additionally, McCoy performed well considering the cards he was dealt in Cleveland.

Last season the man had 14 touchdowns to only nine picks through 12 games and just over 2,500 passing yards. That's quite impressive when you look at the Browns' receiving corps (and non-existent ground game) in comparison to Green Bay's.

With 21 games played through two seasons, McCoy would only make the Packers' quarterback depth stronger.

McCoy Goes into Better Situation

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If you're Colt McCoy, this is a great opportunity for a number of reasons:

1. Green Bay is a Super Bowl contender

2. Better to backup Aaron Rodgers—a Super Bowl MVP—than a rookie in Brandon Weeden

3. Potential increases which pave the way to better development and future implications.

McCoy remaining in Cleveland certainly presents greater odds of him starting if Weeden fails early on.

Still, even with Trent Richardson in the backfield, the Browns are a few steps back in the AFC North. The receiving corps hasn't made any drastic upgrades, and the defense has to prove it can stop the run.

The Packers au contraire, allow the NFL's reigning MVP to learn under much better receivers for developing rhythm and timing. A quarterback has to make the most of what's around him, and McCoy did just that in Cleveland.

Unfortunately, the Browns lacked the repertoire to extensively buff out the rough spots. Green Bay, however, has proven before that it can eventually give backups a chance.

Green Bay Can Afford to Gamble

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Courtesy of an excellent 2012 NFL draft where the Packers did themselves well by emphasizing on defense, risking a late pick for Colt McCoy isn't the worst of ideas.

The backup quarterback position in Green Bay is one of the few areas that needs an upgrade.

We also have to remember that Aaron Rodgers is only 28 years old, and we can actually see his career going longer than the norm—simply because he rarely saw the field from 2005 through 2007, and those years bump the career ahead.

So in short, Rodgers will be around for quite awhile longer, and with the renewed potential on defense, Green Bay won't miss a beat by dealing for McCoy.

The NFL draft is an inexact science where every selection is a risk and experienced players offer known strengths and weaknesses at the pro level.

McCoy is not a well-established quarterback; however, he is much less of a gamble than a late-round rookie.

Browns Could Use Additional Selection

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One risk Cleveland did was taking receiver Josh Gorgan in Round 2 of the 2012 NFL Supplemental Draft.

That decision was a vehement gamble as Gorgan hasn't played since the 2010 college season. In an article by the Associated Press via Yahoo! Sports:

He was the only player selected; the Browns must forfeit their second-round pick in the 2013 draft.

Gordon was suspended for marijuana as a junior in 2011 at Baylor. He transferred to Utah, but decided not to play.

So, now that the Browns don't have their second-rounder for the real 2013 draft, they have to find a way to replace him.

In addition, Cleveland needs as many picks as possible, unlike the Packers.

Even if it's just a fifth or sixth round selection for McCoy—unlikely Green Bay budges higher—Cleveland can focus even more on the future. This past draft we saw numerous mid-round talent go unselected as well as some top-tier prospects fall to the second day.

Because the NFL draft is so unpredictable past Round 1, Cleveland would just give itself another chance to find a late-round gem. After all, more draft picks do increase the odds of probability.

 

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