NFL Rumors: Cleveland Browns Must Not Keep Colt McCoy

The Cleveland Browns owe Colt McCoy a second chance. Hell, they owe Brandon Weeden a first one.

And the only way they can give each the opportunity they deserve is to trade McCoy. Even if Paul Holmgren wants to keep him around, as ESPN's Jamison Hensley suspects:

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I get the feeling that Holmgren wants to keep Colt McCoy as the backup to Weeden. He doesn't think it would be difficult for McCoy to adjust to that role because he "is a special young man."

Holmgren added, "Of course he wants to play, they all want to play. Again, nothing has been done yet, we don’t know how it is going to sort itself out. But, if that were to be the case, at some point, I think we have the best chance of making that work because of who the people are."

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I don't doubt that McCoy would gamely fulfill his role as the backup. And I understand that the Browns would not only love to have him remain as insurance for Weeden, but they'll have no leverage trying to trade McCoy now, since teams know they would be better served moving him.

Even so, would keeping McCoy around be fair to Weeden? Would he be looking over his shoulder if he struggled out of the gate, knowing that the previous starter was sitting on the bench, just waiting to replace him?

And would a fanbase that feels (at least in my experience) that McCoy was never put in a position to win start calling on him to replace Weeden if the rookie started slowly?

That's why it's not fair to McCoy, either.

Because he was never given a chance to succeed in this town, because this draft made it apparent that the Browns never thought of him as anything more than a temporary stop-gap.

Would you want to play for a team that obviously never believed in you? That compiled move after move (check out this article written by Bud Shaw of The Plain Dealer for a blow-by-blow account) that undermined any chances of success you might have had?

No, I don't think you would. You may handle yourself professionally, but resentment would build, and justifiably so.

The benefit of keeping McCoy around as a backup doesn't justify the dangers of keeping him around. For both he and Weeden, the best thing now is to trade McCoy.

Better to give each quarterback the chance they deserve then take the chance that keeping them both in town won't blow up in the Browns' faces.

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