Report: Colt McCoy, Not Brandon Weeden Informed He’s A Part of Chip Kelly’s New Offense
By Josh Hill
Chip Kelly is nearing a deal to become the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns, and already he’s apparently letting people know who’s staying and who’s going. According to a report, former Texas Longhorns star Colt McCoy has been informed that should Kelly not get cold feet and accepts the Browns job, he’ll be a part of the new offense.
Incumbent starter Brandon Weeden has received no such news.
A lot can change between now and the start of the 2012 season, and Kelly isn’t even officially the coach of the Browns yet. But as it stands now, it’s looking like the job is McCoy’s to lose.
Logic would suggest that since it’s a new regime from top to bottom in Cleveland, that the Browns would look to this year’s draft class to try and snag a quarterback like Aaron Murray, or a more mobile option like Tajh Boyd. There is also free agency, where Kelly could try to lure in the likes of Micheal Vick to run his college style offense.
That all obviously can still happen, but the bigger story is that Weeden has been pushed out before he could even really get his footing.
If the Browns pick up an extra quarterback either in the draft or in free agency, the next step may be to deal Weeden, who still has the potential to succeed as an NFL starter. He wasn’t atrocious this year and when you do that in Cleveland it’s almost like winning the Super Bowl. There are plenty of teams in the NFL that could use Weeden, even if it’s just in a backup role.
Should Weeden be dealt, it likely wouldn’t be until after mini-camp, as McCoy may struggle to pick up Kelly’s offense and could ultimately be the odd man out.
Again, a lot can change from now and the start of next season, but if things are going the way reports indicate, Colt McCoy is going to get a second chance at proving he has what it takes to hack it in the NFL, and Brandon Weeden may be playing for someone else next year.