Colt McCoy Trade Rumors: Why Cleveland Browns Would Be Foolish to Trade QB

Trade rumors began swirling around Colt McCoy as soon as the Cleveland Browns selected Brandon Weeden with the No. 22 pick in the 2012 NFL draft. The rumors have been denied by the Browns, but if these rumors are true, this would be a horrible mistake by Cleveland.

The Browns could be looking to deal McCoy to the Green Bay Packers and make a change at the quarterback position. Weeden would be the instant franchise quarterback for Cleveland when that happens, kicking McCoy to the curb in the process.

But is that type of treatment really deserved?

McCoy has been the signal-caller for one of the worst teams in the NFL the past two seasons. In a more specific way, he has been part of one of the worst offenses in the NFL the past two seasons.

With all that, McCoy hasn't put up bad numbers.

As a rookie, McCoy threw for 1,576 yards to the tune of a nearly 61-percent completion percentage in eight games. His six touchdowns to nine interceptions weren't pretty, but he was a rookie and that's to be expected.

In his second season, the Browns offense might have been even worse than the year before. With no help from Peyton Hillis, McCoy didn't have as nice numbers percentage wise but did improve with 14 touchdowns to 11 interceptions.

With the addition of Trent Richardson to the offense, McCoy was no doubt going to receive some help in running the team's offense. Had the Browns used their No. 22 pick to add more weapons or protection for McCoy, the third-year quarterback would've had all the help he deserved the two years before.

In typical Browns' fashion, they might be taking a chance with a 28-year-old rookie quarterback in Weeden. He wasn't highly rated by scouts as a clear-cut, franchise quarterback, and it was thought by some experts Weeden could be drafted by the Browns with the No. 37 pick instead.

Clearly Cleveland sees something it likes that not many around the game have seen before. That makes this a big risk if the Browns do decide to make Weeden their next franchise quarterback.

McCoy, on the other hand, has a respectable track record as a young quarterback. That's not an easy thing to find, and instead of taking a step forward with a more experienced NFL quarterback, the Browns might once again start the risky process of raising another rookie quarterback.