Cleveland Browns Enter Colt McCoy Era with Release of Jake Delhomme

On Tuesday afternoon, the Cleveland Browns finally decided on the fate of veteran quarterback Jake Delhomme. He will be officially cut by the Browns front office on Thursday and will leave Cleveland after a dismal 2010 season under center.

According to an article via the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Browns now add nearly $3 million to their available cap space for the 2011-12 season.

Delhomme made nearly $20 million with Cleveland last season, despite only throwing two touchdowns and seven costly interceptions (roughly $13 million was paid by the Carolina Panthers).

The Browns will now usher in a new era of football under head coach Pat Shurmur and quarterback Colt McCoy. McCoy has only had limited time to practice the new West Coast system that Shurmur intends to implement, but he already feels better about his physical health.

In a video press conference posted on the Browns website Tuesday, McCoy stated that he gained some weight throughout the summer months and will be playing 5-10 pounds heavier in 2011.

More importantly, McCoy stated that the NFL Lockout gave his injured shoulder enough time to heal and should be 100 percent for the entire upcoming season.

All of these factors spell good news for the Browns organization, as the team looks to move forward without Delhomme under contract. However, the option to re-sign Delhomme still exists after his release papers are finalized on Wednesday.

Cleveland has previously stated that they would be willing to re-work a contract with Delhomme. However, his release was imminent even if that was the case.

Tom Heckert said that "the fan base would understand more about Delhomme's release during the coming days."

In the meantime, Browns fans are ready to move forward with Colt McCoy and are looking forward to some quarterback stability for the 2011 season.