What Buffalo Bills-Josh McCown Rumors Mean for 2015 Season

The Buffalo Bills need a quarterback. That much is clear. 

Whether that quarterback is already on their roster (see: Manuel, EJ) is a different story. And whether that quarterback could be a 36-year-old (in July) journeyman who was recently released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (see: McCown, Josh) is now a valid question to ask about the 2015 Bills.

On Thursday, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News reported that Buffalo is "making an effort to sign" Josh McCown, a free agent who is only available prior to March 10 because the Bucs let him go.   

Carucci says a deal between the Bills and McCown may be imminent:

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A deal for McCown could be wrapped up by Friday, the source said. Exactly how many teams are bidding for his services or whether the Bills are considered front-runners wasn't known.

However, the source said the Bills were very much in the hunt to land McCown, a 12-year NFL veteran who was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Feb. 11. He has history with new Bills offensive coordinator Greg Roman, quarterbacks coach David Lee, and offensive line coach Aaron Kromer.

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McCown previously met with the Bills on Feb. 16, per Matthew Fairburn of Syracuse.com, so there appears to be mutual interest. 

Not surprisingly, the reaction of many Bills fans to the rumors has been along the lines of: "Him?"

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

That's understandable when you expect your team to be making the necessary moves to compete for a playoff spot. Dan Hanzus of NFL.com said it best: "'All we need is a quarterback' are the six scariest words an optimistic NFL fan can utter."

At the same time, the Bills signing McCown is no reason to panic—at least not yet. After all, McCown is basically the only quarterback available at the moment. If the goal for head coach Rex Ryan is to provide competition for EJ Manuel in training camp, then nabbing McCown—mediocre as he may be—would be the first step toward achieving that goal.

Ideally, it would not be the last.

In other words, signing McCown does not preclude Buffalo from selecting another quarterback in the middle rounds of the NFL draft in early May. And it does not, in theory, preclude them from picking up another free-agent QB, or even trying to trade for one. 

All that being said, some skepticism is warranted. The Bills met with every quarterback at the NFL combine except for Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, per Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com, but the 2015 QB draft class is widely considered to be weak. 

Plus, recent reports from Carucci and others suggest the Bills do not plan to go after St. Louis Rams QB Sam Bradford, who was rumored to potentially be available via trade.  

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Hearing the #Bills are not pursuing #Rams QB Sam Bradford, as being reported, from a source in the know.

— Vic Carucci (@viccarucci) February 24, 2015"

And this nugget, from Joe Buscaglia of WGR, is admittedly a bit disturbing:

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The #Bills view Josh McCown as an upgrade over Kyle Orton. He's who they wanted in this fun little FA QB class. Interpret that as you will.

— Joe Buscaglia (@JoeBuscaglia) February 26, 2015"

Given the questions surrounding Manuel—he's fallen well short of expectations during his first two NFL seasons since being drafted in the first round in 2013—you'd certainly like to have more than just McCown as a backup plan.

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Last offseason, McCown was a highly coveted free agent, fresh off a year of 13 touchdowns, one interception and a 66 percent completion rate with the Chicago Bears. Then the 2014 season in Tampa happened: 11 touchdowns, 14 interceptions and a 56 percent completion rate.  

"Do you remember the McCown who played as well as any quarterback in football for a six-week stretch under Marc Trestman in 2013?" asks Hanzus. "Or do you remember pretty much every other game McCown has ever played?"

McCown has played for five teams over 10 NFL seasons, posting a career passer rating of 76.1. In 2013, his rating was 109. In every other season, it's been no higher than 74.9. 

Still, the reality is that there just aren't many good QB options out there. Among the other free agents: Mark Sanchez, Brian Hoyer, Jake Locker, Ryan Mallett and Michael Vick.

Gary Wiepert/Associated Press

There's always the slim possibility that the Bills go on a limb and pursue a big name like Jay Cutler—but don't count on it. 

For Manuel, meanwhile, the Bills signing McCown would do nothing to change his status as the front-runner for the starting job in his third season. Many, including former Bills defensive back and Bleacher Report writer Matt Bowen, believe it's far too soon to write Manuel off, via BuffaloBills.com: 

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What you need is more production at the quarterback position. Could it be EJ? Sure it could. There’s not a big enough pro resume for him yet. You can’t tell me he’s not ready to play quarterback. You can’t tell me he’s never going to be a quarterback. You don’t know that yet. He needs more time on the field. Maybe it is EJ. If it’s not, then you look at the veteran free agent market.

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The key for the Bills, says Albert Breer of NFL Network, is to be creative in free agency and the draft—in other words, hedge their bets:

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If you’re the Bills, you keep throwing darts at the dartboard. You bring in competition. You try to have three solid quarterbacks in camp and you see what happens. That to me would be the smart way to go now. You spend your upper draft capital at other positions to make the situation around the quarterback better.

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Josh McCown, it appears, could soon become Dart No. 1.